


Make A Wish

by HypersomniacGrad



Series: Make A Wish [1]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Humor, Red String of Fate, Romance, multiple universe theory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-02
Updated: 2015-10-18
Packaged: 2018-04-24 12:17:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 43,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4919305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HypersomniacGrad/pseuds/HypersomniacGrad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beca makes a wish - after so many missed chances w/ Chloe - and wakes up to an alternate world where nothing is the same. She never becomes a Bella. Aubrey is her best friend. Stacie the only one who can help her get back . And Chloe engaged to someone else in both her own and in the alt. reality she finds herself in. Will Beca ever find her way to Chloe and tell her how she feels? Because surely, travelling between realities and worlds is perfectly normal and nothing could go wrong, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Shooting Stars

**Author's Note:**

> This happens after PP2... but Beca ends up travelling to multiple universes... and shenanigans shall ensue...

Beca was an idiot.

Yep, that was what she was.

No other way to say it.

And she could scream, she could yell, she could shout out into the open night, but she can’t change the fact that she was an idiot.

Because she let all her chances slip away.

And that’s sort of how she found herself sitting alone on nothing but sand at the beach strip near their flat, her shared flat with Chloe, on the night she actually finally found the courage to tell her the truth.

The truth of how she felt.

That she was in love with her.

It took years of processing, yes, but she finally got there.

And Chloe just had to ruin it.

Well, technically, it’s not Chloe’s fault.

Chloe left six months ago to go on some sort of soul searching trip. It’s been a year and a half after Barden, and she wanted to find her calling, not being able to do just that as she settled in with Beca in LA.

Chloe kept in touch the whole time, calling Beca each night or day before falling asleep, after waking up. The distance gave Beca the perspective she needed, something her ex-boyfriend and still current best friend had been trying to point out to her for some time now.

But apparently the trip was what also brought stupid Kyle.

Kyle who Chloe met while she was backpacking through Europe.

Kyle who’s been keeping her company.

Kyle who was taking her on romantic and spontaneous dates.

Kyle who Chloe decided to start dating while on her trip stating it wasn’t exactly a serious thing but it wouldn’t hurt if she tried being out there.

And Beca just nodded and smiled as Kyle “weaseled” his way into Chloe’s life, thinking he’s just a temporary fling.

Hoping that as soon as Chloe returns she’ll have her chance, because Chloe would most likely call it quits.

Because that’s how Chloe kept painting the picture for her.

So Beca figured she could wait until Chloe returns and prepare a surprise for her.

Sweep her off her feet.

Boy was Beca wrong.

Because as soon as she got home on that most awaited day of Chloe’s return she spotted Kyle driving away from their place.

And she immediately saw Chloe leaning on the edge of the armrest of their couch looking at – possibly admiring, but Beca won’t ever admit that – a black velvet box with a matching shiny ring and instantly the DJ knew.

Stupid Kyle proposed.

Who the hell proposes after six months of dating to someone they met while backpacking through Europe? 

Apparently Kyle does.

And as much as Beca hated to admit it, it was romantic as hell.

Beca barely registered anything that Chloe said after the obligatory hug and “I missed you”. All she could feel was the storm building up inside of her. It was like all life was draining away from her and all she could feel was that hurt and pain as the thought occurred to her.

She was too late.

Too late.

Chloe started telling her the story about how Kyle proposed, and Beca knew she had to walk away.

She couldn’t stay and hear the details.

Or how Chloe said “yes”.

Because she’s not a masochist.

And at that moment all her fears were coming true.

Sort of.

She let the redhead breakdown her walls and let her in.

And now she’s about to walk away.

With stupid Kyle.

So yeah, Beca pretty much just up and left, leaving a confused Chloe behind without letting her finished her story.

And that’s how she found herself at the private beach strip, where she planned to take Chloe for a late night picnic. There was going to be a meteor shower that night, and apparently everyone in their neighborhood was looking forward to it. Their whole apartment complex even had a mandatory “lights off” time so that they could all enjoy the sight of countless of shooting stars illuminate the night sky.

Beca thought it would be the perfect moment to bare all her heart and soul to Chloe.

But that picture perfect moment in her mind was now gone, and Beca found herself alone.

She must have been there for a good few hours, shutting her phone off to avoid Chloe’s calls. 

The redhead had probably spotted her by then but for some reason she was keeping her distance from her.

Or she was probably busy with Kyle.

Stupid perfectly romantic Kyle sweeping the girl of her dreams off of her feet.

She was the one who was supposed to do the sweeping.

But no.

Kyle had to be there.

He had to exist and enter the picture.

Yeah, Beca was quite upset.

Upset she missed her chance.

The meteor shower started.

And Beca watched in awe.

Not being able to stop herself, Beca closed her eyes and made a wish.

Surely one of those many shooting stars would grant her wish, right?

“I wish it wasn’t too late. I wish I can rewrite history. I wish I got the chance, the chance to be with Chloe.”

Beca said, taking a deep breath afterwards as she laid down the sand and looked up.

“Because I promise I won’t ever let her go if I did.” she whispered.

And before she knew it Beca fell asleep. She was exhausted.

But just as she did a sudden burst of lights appeared in the sky, more and more meteors illuminating the night and some sort of schism briefly appearing. To one with a keen eye, they would notice that there was actually a sudden rift in the time and space continuum suddenly appearing and disappearing in a short split second.

Everything froze.

Except for Beca.

Because she was sleeping on the particular bit of the beach strip exactly below where the rift in the clouds had appeared.

Beca had no idea of what kind of rude awakening was in store for her.


	2. Not My World

Beca groaned as she felt the arm wrapped around her waist pulling her closer.

The first thing Beca noticed was the arm that wasn’t supposed to be wrapped around her.

The second thing was that she was on a bed.

The third thing was that she was naked under the sheets with an equally naked girl she didn’t recognize snuggling up next to her.

“Who the hell are you?” Beca immediately yelled a she jolted up and out the bed, grabbing as much of the sheets that she could. “Out, get out! Now!” she added instantly as the incredibly blonde woman who looked like a model of sorts rolled her eyes, grabbed her things, and stormed out of her room.

If it was her room.

Beca looked around the huge space of the bedroom. But it was plain, nondescript with the furnishing and décor. It was also a good one and a half times bigger than the room she had in her flat with Chloe.

Which pretty much suggested to Beca that she had probably gotten black out drunk last night, and she was probably actually crashing with the model she woke up with.

It was probably her room.

And she yelled for her to get out.

Who even does that?

Apparently Beca does.

Beca trudged out of the bedroom, the sheets she grabbed onto still wrapped around her as she made her way to the empty hallway.

That’s when she realized she was wrong.

Just across the room she exited was a home studio barely hidden behind its slightly open door and as Beca made her way inside she realized from some personal effects scattered there that it was her studio.

She made her way down the hall and saw a study, two other rooms she assumed to be guest rooms – she didn’t bother checking them out – until she reached the double doors of what she assumed to be the master’s bedroom.

Her master’s bedroom as it turned out.

She walked inside and studied every nook and corner of the room. Every bit of décor suggested that it was indeed her room. From the pictures on her dresser mirror, most of it was with her mom when she was little, to the records hanging on her walls, it was definitely Beca’s room.

One particular picture on the dresser was even in a frame, and Beca could tell it was special. It was of her with her mother. They were in the park. Her mother sitting on a bench with another woman with striking red hair. Beca was standing right in front of her mother, her arm linked with a bright and bubbly redhead with impeccably blue eyes.

It reminded her of Chloe.

All that was missing was the scar on her forehead that for some reason she couldn’t help but adore.

Because it made Chloe even more special.

And Beca found herself smiling a goofy smile for a good minute or two.

Funny, she never remembered being in a park with that redheaded girl.

And even with all the proof, the DJ still found it strange. If this was her room then how did it triple in size from the room she had in their flat?

On that note, how did her place triple in size in the first place?

Beca walked into the bathroom of her master’s bedroom and saw, with surprise, the incredibly gorgeous bathroom in front of her.

Beca took a quick shower and dressed up immediately, still quite stunned.

But still quite sleepy.

So yeah, showering first before confronting the absurd reality in front of her.

She had her own penthouse suite as it turned out.

At one of LA’s most premiere residence buildings.

The amount of expensive things – from clothing to equipment to you name it – that she owns still astounds her.

The view from her room even more astounding.

She did find it strange to find herself waking up in a guest room.

But considering she had probably taken home someone she didn’t want snooping around her most private and treasured memories on display in her bedroom, she figured that was why.

And she wouldn’t have complained one bit, her dreams apparently all came true overnight with Grammy’s adorning the shelves in her sort of study connected to her home studio.

Except for the fact that when she finally went into the kitchen, a rather tall, rather intimidating German was in her kitchen, and Beca yelped.

“Oh, Guten Morgen Feisty Maus. I see you’ve thrown out your lady friend of the night.” Luisa greeted casually as she handed Beca – who still pretty much had her jaws dropped down to the floor – her own cup of coffee.

“You… here… what? Why?” Beca mumbled.

“I do believe that your evening parties are getting more and more absurd if your memory for the week starts disappearing instead of just the night before.” Luisa started to say. “I have been your guest for a week now, remember? I was working with you on that latest project of yours. But your gorgeous best friend here is about to bid you adieu, my flight back to Germany is leaving in a few hours. I’m all packed and ready to go my Feisty Maus, so I’ll call you when my plane lands, and hopefully your memory should have returned.”

“What?” was Beca still confused reply, but the German leader of DSM had just by then dismissed the topic, pulled her in a tight hug.

“Beca, I really don’t have time to help jog your memory, I hope you forgive me, but I really must go.”

“You’re in my kitchen.” Beca pointed out.

“Yes, my little Maus.” Luisa replied and sighed – suggesting to Beca that this had probably happened before, but for whatever reason she has no idea – “I already called your best friend in advance, I have a feeling you’ll need someone to sort you right after the crazy morning, and what I could assume an even crazier night for a certain lady killer DJ.”

“What?” was all Beca gave as a reply getting more and more confused as the German gave her another hug before leaving.

Her thoughts immediately went to Chloe.

Did she block out a good amount of time from her memory?

Like a year, perhaps?

Beca checked the date on her phone, as soon as she found it, and made the discovery that it was, in fact, the day after the meteor shower.

It was still the same year.

So how did everything change overnight?

The DJ wasn’t sure, but there was only one way to find out.

Beca walked around the penthouse, and found more and more proof that everything she’s seeing must have been part of a dream.

A really weird but really great dream.

Where apparently she was a famous DJ/music producer.

Making it in LA at such a young age.

Which translates to “I didn’t go to Barden”.

So that probably meant she was never a Bella.

But on a side note, she did – strangely enough – meet Luisa.

So that meant she probably met the people who knew her in her real world.

Which strongly suggested that she was dreaming.

And that she would wake up soon.

She was just having an incredibly realistic dream where she could feel the hot water of the shower and appreciate the robust taste of her coffee.

Beca, on a whim, decided to pull off an experiment.

People do say that you can’t get hurt in a dream right?

So Beca tried hitting a wall.

Thankfully before she could do serious damage someone pulled her arm away causing Beca to lose balance, falling to the floor.

Which hurt.

Badly.

Yeah, definitely not a dream.

Guess she wasn’t in her LA anymore.

What on earth happened?


	3. My Best Friend, Aubrey

Beca grumpily picked herself up from the floor as she turned around and saw the one and only Aubrey Posen.

“Honestly Beca!” Aubrey huffed.

Beca stared at the blonde for a moment, taking in the sight of Aubrey in her power suit, two coffees in hand.

And of course Beca couldn’t help but notice the wedding band on her finger.

“You’re married?” she asked in disbelief.

“Dear God, Mitchell! I was already married when we met!”

“And that was?”

“About a year and a half ago.”

“How’d we meet?”

“Do you have amnesia or something?” Aubrey asked sounding concern as she marched into Beca’s living room and took a seat at the arm chair, setting the two coffees on the coffee table. She looked at the DJ with genuine concern on her face that it threw Beca off. “Luisa did tell me you sounded more out of it than usual when you threw out your model of the night as soon as you woke up. You usually let them take their time and have breakfast.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You know Luisa?”

“Yes.”

“From DSM?”

“Beca, what on earth is a DSM?”

But that didn’t register to Beca. When Luisa said she called the DJ’s best friend she thought Chloe, or Jesse as a close second, not Aubrey. But if Aubrey was the one there…

“You, you are my best friend.” Beca said astounded.

“Why yes Mitchell, considering Luisa and I is the closest thing you have to a best friend – all this despite you still keep her at an arm’s length and I’m the only one you’ve decided to, strangely enough, trust. Yes I am. Are you sure you’re okay?” Aubrey asked, walking closer to Beca to check her temperature.

“I do not have a fever Posen!” Beca protested.

“Well then what the hell is wrong with you?” Aubrey asked confused with the way Beca was acting.

“This.” Beca said, gesturing around the whole penthouse suite to make a point to Aubrey. “All this shouldn’t be. I was supposed to meet you at Barden, on my freshman year. I was supposed to be your succeeding co-captain, together with Chloe.”

“What on earth are you talking about? And how do you know Chloe? You haven’t even met. Besides, Chloe and I were in the same year.”

“I met her with you at Barden. Chloe fails Russian Lit, an alarming number of times to be exact. And she’s my best friend not you, no offence.”

“Beca, Chloe graduated with me. You were never at Barden. She’s my best friend, as you are, but you two don’t know each other. And I’m not offended, considering you seem to be living in some bizarre world in your head at the moment. You’ve never done drugs before, are you sure you didn’t do anything that messed your head up today?”

“NO!” Beca yelled indignant. “Sorry, just, I seem to be living in this bizarre world.”

“Beca, slow down.” Aubrey said as Beca started mumbling while she paced back and forth the living room. Aubrey chose to sit down the armchair once again and watched her ramble on about going to Barden, winning Worlds, moving to LA with Chloe.

“I’m sorry Beca, but none of what you say makes any sense.” Aubrey interrupted. “Beca, you started your career in LA our senior year at Barden. We were inspired by one of your mixes so Chloe and I decided to adopt your style and we won Nationals. I moved to California for law school at Stanford and Chloe stayed for her Master’s at Barden. We keep in touch every now and then but the past couple of years had been busy, there are other reasons too, of course. She’s moved here to LA just recently and I still haven’t seen her. You and I, on the other hand, we met during one of my father’s dinner parties. You were already a big name in the industry, he needed a DJ, apparently the two of you met at some other function, and so you volunteered. Ever since then we’ve been inseparable. You got my resentments with my dad, you had your own, and, I don’t know. We just became best friends. I met Luisa through you, again, the other person who’s close enough to be your best friend but lives oceans away so I guess that’s why you’re reluctant to let her in as much as you have let me. Although to be honest, the last time you called me for being sick, you didn’t even allow me to enter your room, so you know, you’re whole keeping people at a good enough distance thing you have makes it hard for people to take care of you.”

Beca nodded.

Was she still confused?

Yes.

But she understood what Aubrey said.

“How’d I meet the she-wolf?”

“Who?”

“Luisa.”

“I don’t know, you never told me. You said it was some sort of ‘funny incident’ while you were in Copenhagen once.”

“Copenhagen, of course.” Beca muttered as she slumped down the couch. “So all of this is real?” Beca asked, uncertainly.

“Yes, Mitchell.”

“But it shouldn’t be.”

“But it is.” Aubrey insisted.

“Chloe. She’s supposed to be my best friend.”

“We’ve established your strange confusion. Although, do tell me, how’d you hear about Chloe? I never talked to her about you. I talked about the Bellas in general but, I don’t know, I think no matter how I love her like she’s my own sister, I’m still pissed about her choosing to date that Treble.”

Beca snorted. “I highly doubt Chloe would chose to date a Treble with the Bellas’ pact and all.” 

“Well, apparently that’s not the case. That’s why I haven’t seen her since she moved in with him here.”

Beca could feel her heart beat racing, not in the I just found out the person I’m secretly in love with is actually within reach kind of way but because a though had occurred to her. “Aubrey, who is Chloe dating?”

“Well, his name is Jesse, Jesse Swanson. And they’re not just dating now, they’re engaged.”

“What!?” Beca exclaimed, jolting up all wide eyed.

Nothing in this world was right.

Nothing made sense.

And although Beca had established all this as real, she couldn’t help but wish to wake up soon.

Because this strange reality had just turned into some twisted dream.

Not yet a nightmare, but getting close to it.

Beca’s head spun around with too many thought buzzing in and out.

Yep, she pretty much fainted after that.

Because the thought of Chloe marrying Jesse was just too much.

She actually misses the Kyle problem now.


	4. Dr. Conrad Steps In

Beca came to after a good fifteen minutes had passed.

“Beca, are you sure you’re okay?” Aubrey asked, she was huddled right next to her on the couch, checking if the DJ was alright.

Beca got up, looked around, and seeing as she was still stuck in whatever world or dimension she was in, groaned.

“You’re really still hung up on your imaginary world, are you?”

“It’s not an imaginary world Aubrey.” Beca replied through gritted teeth and Aubrey sighed.

“Well, I think my wife would be able to help us.”

“Your wife?” Beca asked dazed.

Too much info to process and all.

“Come on Beca.” Aubrey said as she marched towards the door, Beca rushing behind her.

“Your wife? You have a wife?” Beca repeated as they made their way out the door.

Aubrey talked about her missus the whole ride through, but she never mentioned her name once, making Beca wonder who on earth actually managed to sweep Aubrey off her feet. The blonde kept commenting on how “she” was always going home late, “she” is always busy cooking up something, and apparently “she” should be able to fix whatever was wrong with Beca.

They pulled up at the parking lot of an impressive looking research facility and made their way through the lab when Beca realized just who Aubrey was talking about.

Tall. Check.

Brunette. Check.

Dressed for some reason in smart casual threads that were not at all revealing. Strangely enough, check.

“Stacie’s your wife!” Beca exclaimed, catching the attention of the former Bella who was busy tinkering with some sort of instrument.

“Beca! Hey Bree, what brings you two here? Is Beca okay? She sounds surprised to know we’re married.” Stacie noted.

Aubrey sighed and quickly explained Beca’s strange behavior, with Beca jumping in every now and then.

The blonde noticed Stacie biting her lip towards the end of their whole explanation, and immediately Aubrey realized that the DJ was telling the truth.

Sort of.

“You have something to do with this, don’t you?” Aubrey asked calmly.

“Well, here’s the thing.” Stacie started to say as she gestured for them to grab one of the swivel chairs littered around the lab to sit. “See, last night, we had the first trial run of this new instrument I’ve been designing for months. It’s supposed to help study the very thin fabric of time and space, you know, explore the multiple universe theory. But during the meteor shower, one of my lab techs had a mishap with one of our time continuum monitors and accidentally caused a rift in said time and space continuum. Anyways, long story short, there was a temporary black out in the whole facility and when the generators kicked in, one of the earths in the multiple earths we were monitoring suddenly…”

“Suddenly what, Stacie? Imploded or something?” Beca asked, jumping in sounding concerned.

“No, nothing like that Beca. But it froze. It stopped moving, like, it stopped moving forward in time. It’s in a standstill. No signals. Nothing. It’s not like we can see what’s going on or anything, but we get to monitor seismic activities, and such, things that indicate the movement and progress of time. We haven’t really found a way to monitor events in those   
places, the other earths in the multiple universes.”

Both Beca and Aubrey nodded, not entirely sure at what Stacie just said.

“I thought there was something wrong with our monitoring equipment, but I think I have an idea of what had happened now. Beca from that earth is here. Her consciousness at the minimum. And maybe our Beca is still there somewhere, that’s why your world now is in a standstill, you don’t have a ghost to go along with your machine if you get what I mean.”

“I don’t get it, do you get it?” Beca then said to Aubrey.

“Your consciousness got transferred here, in our reality, and you’re reality now is frozen. No time is passing. Not until you get back, right Stace?”

“Yes, exactly.” Stacie answered.

“How do I get back then?” Beca asked.

“I don’t know… not yet, at least.” Stacie replied honestly.

“So you’re telling me I’m stuck here?” Beca pressed on and Stacie nodded. “I’m stuck here while my version of Chloe is about to marry stupid Kyle, wait no, is frozen in time with whatever she’s doing with stupid Kyle, and the Chloe here is getting married to Jesse of all people! Jesse!” Beca ranted, leaving a confused Stacie to search for answers from Aubrey.

“Apparently Beca’s in love with Chloe.” Aubrey started and Stacie immediately jumped up of her seat.

“Oh my God! That’s it!” Stacie exclaimed while Beca and Aubrey exchanged looks. “No, listen. About three months ago I went out on a trip with my lab group, you know bonding and stuff, we met this sort of mystic during a fair and he kept talking about this red thread called the red string of Fate. The legend says that no matter the place, the time, the situation, two people meant to be together will be together. Maybe Beca was supposed to sweep Chloe of her feet and that’s why this whole mess happened.”

“Okay, first of all Stace, you don’t seriously believe that legend, do you? Second of all, she hasn’t even met Chloe in this world.” Aubrey argued.

“Yes Bree, but just hear me out. Chloe’s looking for a DJ for her wedding, and we honestly can’t keep avoiding her, we have to meet up with her soon, you are her maid of honor. I hate the jerk face ex-Treble as much as you do, but think about it this way, if we introduce Beca to Chloe, then maybe they’ll finally get a shot in this world, and Beca gets back to her own world.”

“And how Stace? Magically?”

“No, listen. I’ll work on the instrument and we can try testing it out, work on sending Beca back. But for now, now that Beca’s here, would you at least consider the possibility that maybe that’s why Beca’s here?”

“As much as I love Beca, how sure are we that DJ lady killer here deserves to be with Chloe?”

“Are you telling me you prefer her to be with Jesse? Chloe deserves better.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I just think we’re getting a little out of hand with the assumptions.”

“I get your point but what if Beca and Chloe are meant to be together in whatever world they’re in? And this is the only way for Beca and Chloe to be together for both this world and our confused DJ’s here. Beca, what do you think?”

“Well…” Beca started looking unsure. “You and Aubrey do sneak off somewhere a lot for a number of sketchy reasons, so I guess you’re secretly together in our world?” she said in response to Stacie’s question before turning her attention. “If that’s true, then maybe what Stacie’s saying is true.”

Aubrey sighed. “If that’s true then we have a lot of work to do. How on earth would Chloe fall for our DJ with her given reputation in this world?”

“Hey!” Beca commented. “I’m not that bad.”

“Bree’s right Beca. In this world, you’ve pretty much had your way with any and every single model you probably know. Name them, you’ve slept with them.”

“Yeah, and meeting Chloe now with Jesse always by her side wouldn’t help. The guys a jerk, but Chloe keeps insisting he’s the sweetest, she’s really in love with him.”   
Aubrey’s comment almost made Beca barf.

But she managed to keep it down.

“But Jesse’s a sweet guy. I dated him for almost three years in my version of this world.” she tried to reason.

Now that comment almost made both Aubrey and Stacie barf.

Beca could tell.

“Maybe your Jesse, but not this one. And you seriously dated him?” Stacie then said.

“I was stupid and blind? I knew I was in love with my best friend, I was confused with which one.” Beca offered as an explanation.

“That’s good enough. But still, we have to come up with something sort of a miracle. Chloe’s never been in love with anyone other than Jesse. Well, except for a stupid childhood crush of sorts.”

“What do you mean Bree?” Stacie asked, and Beca’s attention was fully on Aubrey.

Not on the weird noises of whatever was going on in the lab.

“When Chloe was like eight or nine or something, her mom and dad visited some relatives in Portland. She met this little girl in a park she ended up being playmates with. Anyways, they met when some kids were picking on Chloe for being a redhead and then the girl decked the leader of the gang in the face. She never told me her name, but apparently they made a stupid playground promise of marrying each other when they grow up.”

Beca chuckled.

She couldn’t help it.

The girl Chloe met sounded so much like Beca.

That’s when she realized it.

She was that kid.

That was what that photo in the room was with her mom and the two redheads was all about.

And Beca couldn’t help but laugh.

“Beca, are you okay?” Aubrey asked.

“Bree, you’re wrong. I’ve met Chloe.” she said light heartedly.

Both Aubrey and Stacie gave her a questioning look.

“Follow me. Stace, you okay to take a short leave?”

“Beca, I’m the boss. I can leave whenever.” Stacie replied.

“Then what are you guys waiting for? You’ll get a kick out of this.” Beca commented.

They made their way back to the parking lot and to Beca’s penthouse.

With Beca grinning stupidly all the way back.

As soon as they got back, Beca ushered both Stacie and Aubrey into her bedroom, the two of them crossing the threshold of its doors for the very first time. Both ladies at awe at the number of personal belongings Beca never showed anyone else.

Because she was only letting people into her private life, her deepest and most private thoughts and memories, for the first time.

And that’s when they saw it.

The picture in a frame.

The redheaded woman was definitely Chloe’s mom.

And the redheaded girl was definitely Chloe.

Aubrey couldn’t help but notice the red band made of string that was supposed to represent a ring taped to the back of the frame.

They also noticed what was scribbled on the back in Beca’s handwriting.

Need to find way back to her. Don’t ever forget the promise!

Underneath was the date when the picture was taken.

Also written in Beca’s handwriting.

The three of them exchanged smiles. A certain Dr. Conrad seem to have made the right hypothesis.

And Beca couldn’t help but beam with happiness.

Fate was on her side now.


	5. To The Convent!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca’s in a parallel universe, Aubrey is her best friend, Stacie is finding a way to send Beca back to her own universe, and Chloe is marrying Jesse. With all the craziness surrounding Beca at the moment, she finds consolation from a promise made years ago… A promise made by two little girls who met each other at the playground… A promise made by the parallel universe Beca to her version of Chloe that she’ll marry her someday.
> 
> But while Aubrey is conspiring with Beca for a way to win the redhead’s heart so close to the wedding, Aubrey had another mission to complete - to ‘round up the Bellas who have drifted apart.
> 
> First stop? To see Amy…
> 
> …at a convent of all places.

It’s been one week.

One whole freaking week where Beca had to live her life as the music producer to work with.

Not that she’s complaining or anything.

She just really wanted to meet Chloe.

The Chloe of this world.

But Aubrey thinks that it’s best that they wait. Sort of build the suspense. The blonde already met with Chloe and the jerk version of Jesse – as both Aubrey and Stacie claims – to get things finalized for the upcoming wedding. Aubrey also manage to ensure that Beca gets to be the DJ, so there’s the prospect of seeing Chloe soon at least.

Stacie’s been busy with whatever the hell she’s doing in that lab of hers so Beca’s staying clear of her for a while.

Dr. Conrad, however, tried to convince Beca to try and access their world’s Beca’s memories, if only to help their cause.

But even though Beca tried her best to concentrate, and meditate, and focus, and all those sort of things, it was to no avail. She couldn’t access those memories.

So she decided to busy herself with the music for now. Nothing good ever comes from overthinking. She needed to clear her mind.

And Beca found it funny how easy she seemed to adjust with her sort of new life.

It wasn’t until that one week later that Aubrey dragged Beca away from her busy schedule for some sort of mission, driving out of town heading to some mysterious destination somewhere.

“We’re gathering the Bellas for the wedding. They’ve RSVP’d ages ago but apparently Chloe’s having a hard time getting them together now.”

“Why? The Bellas I know usually never passes out on a chance for a gathering.” Beca remarked.

“Well, the Bellas of this world sort of drifted apart. We all keep in touch, but, you know, busy life and everything.”

“Okay.” 

“Okay? You have no snappy comment there?”

“Considering Stacie’s rather conservative and nerdy in this world instead of her usual, for the lack of a better word, flirty self – although your Stacie still clearly hot, so lucky girl, you. Now don’t get all mad, glad she’s saving all herself for you.” Beca replied and grimaced at the image that popped into her head with what she had just said. “Anyways, I’m kind of interested in seeing what else is different with the Bellas of this world. I mean you’re still you, but we’re missing the lack-of-height nicknames you love calling me here.”

“Do you want me to call you short?”

“No.”

“Then why are you complaining?”

“I’m not used to you being nice to me.” Beca answered truthfully.

Aubrey chuckled. “Boy are you in for a treat.”

“Uh, Aubrey.”

“Yes Beca?”

“Why are we heading towards the gates of that convent?”

“Because that’s where we’re going.”

“Who exactly are we visiting here?”

But Aubrey didn’t give a reply. They were already there.

Beca was never really the religious type, so visiting a convent just outside of town with its eerily quiet stone-walled halls was very unnerving for her.

The notorious DJ lady killer of this world.

Yup, nothing totally out of place here.

Other than Beca herself.

At least that was what Beca thought.

Until a rather familiar looking Australian greeted them in a nun’s habit.

“Amy! Nun! What?” Beca muttered incoherently pointing at Amy, the habit, and then looking at Aubrey who just laughed in response.

“Oh my, look who we have here. It’s nice to see you again dear Aubrey.” Amy said as she greeted Aubrey with all the prim and proper demeanor that was to be expected of her.

“And she’s all…” Beca started to say gesturing at Amy in confusion. “This is so wrong.” 

“Who is your highly amusing friend dear Aubrey?” Amy asked Aubrey.

“So, so wrong.” Beca commented before Aubrey jumped in by introducing Beca to Amy. They soon found somewhere to sit near the grotto and the Aubrey explained to Amy how Chloe’s about to get married soon and they really need to rush to get all their dresses fitted and everything.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can still make it to the wedding. I’ve never left since I entered the convent and…”

“Hold up, why did you join the convent in the first place?” Beca asked still highly amused.

“Well, I wanted to be closer to…”

“Nope, don’t answer.” the DJ immediately said, interrupting Amy.

“Where did you meet this friend of yours, Aubrey?”

Aubrey was about to explain when Beca stood up, hands raised up in the air in resignation. “No, no, no. Whatever happened to the ‘What’s up aca-bitches?’ spouting Australian who entered Barden and spent most of her time with one of her men or Bumper, mostly Bumper when he was around?”

“My dear, watch your language!” Amy said in hushed tones.

“This is weird!” Beca replied freaking out with Amy being a nun. “I feel like I’m in the twilight zone or something!”

“Beca, we’ve already established that you’re not.” Aubrey chimed in. “But she is right about one thing Amy, what happened to the point-dexter you were dating?”

“Point-dexter? Are we talking about Bumper?” Beca interjected and both Amy and Aubrey nodded.

“I think he entered the nearby seminary. We love each other dearly but we both decided that we both…”

“No! This is all wrong!” Beca exclaimed and immediately proceeded to explain to Amy how he and Bumper were in her own world, all the while avoiding referencing that she’s not exactly the Beca from around here and claiming that that was how things ‘should be’.

Somehow all the excited chattering attracted the attention of the whole convent.

And somehow they ended up getting Amy thrown out of the convent with an impromptu acapella performance of some rather crude songs that Beca knew her version of Amy would have loved.

Beca was sure there’s a part of her soul burning in hell at that moment, but she reasoned that it was a greater crime, or sin, to be something you’re really not, deny who you are and what you feel. That’s how she got in this predicament in the first place.

So to whoever religious deity out there watching over her, Beca figured he or she would understand.

They also manage to break a rather nerdy looking Bumper from the nearby seminary. But that was pretty much to Amy’s doing, once Beca got her wound up, there was no stopping her.

“I like your friend here Aubrey.” she commented on their drive back. “So shorty, you really live up to your reputation don’t you? All the defiling and corrupting and everything?”

“Now that’s the Amy I know.” Beca commented. “And I do not corrupt and defile!” she protested. “Here I thought you’ve never heard of me” the DJ then grumbled.

“That’s right Amy, we actually need your help.” Aubrey then added.

“Posen, just say the word, Amy and I owe you and your friend here.” Bumper chimed in.

“Uh, okay. So Chloe’s getting married, right?” Aubrey started.

“I can’t believe she’s still with that Swanson. He doesn’t deserve her.”

“Well, luckily that’s where I step in.” Beca then said.

“How come shorty?” Amy asked.

“Well, you see Amy, Beca here is in love with Chloe.” Aubrey answered for Beca. “And Chloe was also once upon a time in love with Beca. She just doesn’t know that the girl she promised to marry years ago before they parted ways for one last time in a playground is this badass DJ right here.”

“I don’t follow.” Amy replied.

“Me neither.” Bumper added.

“Well then Amy, you’re in for a story of a life time.” Beca said in response.

It was a long drive back to LA.

Just the perfect opportunity for the most romantic love story ever told, or at least that’s what Aubrey claims, because you know, Beca wouldn’t be caught dead saying that out loud.

But she most certainly one hundred and one percent agrees with it.


	6. Closet Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Stacie getting busy in the lab to figure out a way of sending Beca back to her own reality, the DJ finds herself getting dragged into getting the Bellas all together by Aubrey in preparation for Chloe’s wedding.
> 
> While Beca does hate the thought of Chloe’s upcoming wedding with Jesse, she does enjoy the prospect of meeting the Bellas of the parallel universe she is in. And more importantly, recruiting them to help her win the redhead’s heart in the little time they’ve got.
> 
> They’ve already busted Amy out of the convent (and apparently extracted Bumper from a nearby seminary too). Next stop? Meeting Cynthia Rose…
> 
> …and apparently, her boyfriend Alfonso…
> 
> …will Beca be able to set the weirdness of this world right?

With Beca’s connections and all, the tiny brunette managed to help Amy and Bumper find a place to live – because she can’t take all the ‘hot lovin’’ her suite is getting to witness from the two reunited lovers – and get them to land jobs most suited to them in a span of four days.

It was day eleven of the whole multiverse trip.

Eleven whole days without Chloe.

And Beca shuddered at the thought that if the Chloe of this world ends up marrying Jesse, or if her Chloe marries stupid Kyle, then whatever indefinite but hopefully short amount of time she gets to live without her now will extend to forever.

A whole lifetime without the redhead.

If there was a hell on earth, Beca was sure that it would be that.

And yet somehow she was convinced that living a lifetime of having Chloe in her life all the while watching her be with someone else was even a worse fate to endure.

So maybe that’s why she’s been bugging Stacie to get her juices flowing and find a way to send her back.

And maybe that’s why she’s been bugging Aubrey to get her to meet Chloe already.

“I already told you munchkin, Chloe is busy spending time with Jesse’s parents at the moment. You cannot swoop in and steal the bride right now. You’re supposed to be her knight, not the dastardly villain.”

“Dastardly villain? And seriously Aubrey, lack-of-height nicknames? Really?”

“It’s your fault. You were the one who pointed out the differences in your world from ours and how ‘things should be’. You even unleashed a side of Amy I didn’t know existed. And Bumper too. The amount of trauma I’ve received from witnessing those two trying to get it on for the past few days will scar me for life. I blame you.”

“Well, it felt weird. ‘Sides, you were the one who kept sticking around my place, so really Bree, who is to blame here?” was all Beca gave as a reply. “So, where are we heading to now?” she dared to ask. They were driving round town, heading to some corporate office. Aubrey only mentioned they were meeting someone for lunch.

The pair found themselves entering a nearby café, not too shabby but not too fancy either for Beca’s taste, and headed towards a table with an Italian guy in a crisp white suit who Beca couldn’t recognize.

“Alfonso!” Aubrey greeted the Italian with a hug. Before the man could even regard Aubrey and Beca she heard a familiar voice calling the blonde’s name.

“Aubrey! It’s nice to see you again!” Cynthia Rose greeted as she took her turn in hugging Aubrey.

As they sat down, Aubrey introduced Beca to both Cynthia Rose and Alfonso.

When the blonde said that she was Cynthia Rose’s boyfriend, Beca’s jaws dropped.

But luckily Aubrey was quick to nudge the DJ who was clearly caught off guard from the comment.

Because as far as Beca was concerned, Cynthia Rose wasn’t into fancy Italian guys in suits.

And as long as the topic of Alfonso was concerned, Beca swore he was a little too demure to just be an effeminate straight male.

He was also unabashedly checking out their male server every chance he got.

“Oh, this world is too twisted for me.” Beca said through gritted teeth.

“Aubrey, is your friend here okay?” Cynthia Rose asked.

“I’m okay. You seem to be not. You too Alfie.” Beca replied with a bit of snark, she didn’t mean to, but that’s just how it came out.

The next half hour or so was spent by having Beca give a speech of just how wrong everything was.

She started with Alfonso.

She didn’t know Alfonso.

So it made it easier for her.

Because she couldn’t take another minute of Cynthia Rose’s ‘boyfriend’ eyeing their rather tall, dark, and handsome server.

After calling the Italian out on it, Beca focused her attention on Cynthia Rose.

“This isn’t you.” Beca pointed out. She raised a hand as soon as she saw Cynthia Rose try to rebut her statement.

“Let me finish.” Beca then added. “You’re more than all of whatever it is you have going on here. I’ve always admired you, you know, you were never afraid of being who you are. You never, for once, faltered. And neither did you care about what anyone else thought about you. You are just who you are, you didn’t need any explanation or anything.”

Cynthia Rose watched the DJ go on for the remaining hour or so about how “the CR” Beca knew was not afraid of loving who she truly loved and being true to herself.

It was strange, hearing herself tell this version of Cynthia Rose in front of her everything that her version of Cynthia Rose would have told her.

Because she was one to talk.

She decided to be proactively oblivious to her feelings for years, even when evidences to support the fact that she’s in love with Chloe kept popping up every now and then.

Because she was afraid once upon a time too.

She was confused.

Until the day she realized that there was really nothing to be afraid about.

Or to be confused about.

Because falling in love with Chloe was the easiest thing that she’s ever done.

Everything flowed easily.

Everything naturally fell into place.

It happened in microseconds.

No, nano- possibly pico- or femto-seconds.

Because ever since they met she knew, somewhere deep – incredibly way deep – inside her she knew.

The hiding and the running away was what was harder.

It was too much work.

All for nothing.

Because in the end she couldn’t stop the inevitable from coming and taking her over completely.

And she didn’t want this world’s Cynthia Rose to suffer in love like she did.

As well as wait for the last moment to actually do something and fight for the person she loved.

Aubrey gave sympathetic nods, a shrug here or there, whenever Cynthia Rose looked for her for clarification, explanation, or some sort of support.

Cynthia Rose didn’t know what it was, whether it was the passion of the rather infamous DJ possessed as she talked to her inspired her, or if it was the genuine and sincere caring tone, but it got to her.

It got to her.

Somewhere along the drive back, Alfonso getting their server’s number and possibly groping his butt, and enlisting Cynthia Rose’s help for wooing Chloe – a term that the badass DJ Beca Mitchell still refuses to acknowledge – with a quick recap of why they should help Beca in the first place, minus the reference of the whole multiverse and rift in the time and space continuum debacle, Beca found her confidence growing.

She can do this.

Tell Chloe how she felt.

Access this world’s Beca’s memories to help her – because she’s still miserably failing at that.

And most importantly, get the girl back in her world.

Stupid Kyle can eat dirt.

She can do this.

Because fighting for Chloe felt just as natural as falling for her in the first place.

It annoyed Beca that she just realized that with her interaction with Cynthia Rose.

But better late than never, right?


	7. Stacie's First Round of Experiments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Beca getting busy and making progress with reuniting the Bellas together, it’s time to make progress with her other rather important problem - how to get back home. It’s time to test out the effects of Stacie’s tinkering with her invention.
> 
> Will Beca finally find her way back home, or will she wake up in some other reality? And if it’s the latter, where could she possibly go?
> 
> Inter-dimensional travelling couldn’t possible get any weirder than it already sounds, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I were to be honest, this is why the fanfic was written in the first place :3
> 
> Two things, whatever Beca does in the universe she’s in is definitely helping her grow up and mature – realize some things she’s been trying to ignore. Likewise whatever she does to in that universe definitely affects it too. I froze her original world mostly to avoid complicated repercussions when she gets back (imagine if the Beca of the world she’s in woke up in her body too and find all the differences of their world :O)… so yeah… but with the experiments below Stacie does give her a very important note.
> 
> [SPOILER] I wasn’t sure who I wanted Chloe to be in the first place Beca wakes up in… so that’s why that’s that… but I thought it would be an interesting notion, that’s why it was included
> 
> Also take not that this is only the ‘first round’ ;P

“I am not allowing you to hook me up to that contraption of death.” was the first thing Beca said as soon as Stacie unveiled her latest invention.

Her lab techs and research assistants even pulled the whole drum roll and “Tada!” moment.

With spotlights coming somewhere from the lab as Stacie pulled the cloth off the thing.

Waving arms, party poppers, and everything.

But there is no way in hell or high water Beca would allow herself be strapped onto the metal bed plate with some sort of head piece with electrodes and stuff that’s supposed to be glued to her head.

There was also what looked like a life support machine that Stacie kept referring to as ‘life monitors’ and what Beca guessed to be a defibrillator that one of the good doctor’s interns kept shoving to the side of the darn machine to hide from Beca’s view.

And all of those shiny metal equipment was connected to Stacie’s time/space monitor instrument thingy that she still had no idea how it works.

So yeah, definitely not letting Stacie turn her into a lab rat.

“Beca, this is the only way for you to get back to your world, you do know that, right?” Stacie reasoned.

“I am still so not convinced.”

“Look, we tried it out on Robbie here, and he’s fine. Tell her your fine Robbie.”

“I’m fine Ms. Mitchell.”

“Really, where did Robbie go?” Beca asked, not at all trusting the intern who looked deathly afraid of Stacie.

“Well, he didn’t exactly go anywhere. We tested the attachment separately to make sure we get good readings on your brain activity and vitals, and it’s working like a charm.”

“Huh. What happens when we start the whole thing together, you know, run that thingy with your bigger thingy machine?”

“Instrument Beca, not a machine. And as for your question, we don’t know yet.” Stacie answered truthfully before chewing on her bottom lip. “That’s why we have the defibrillator on stand-by. Just in case something backfires.”

“Stacie!”

“We have no choice Beca. You’re the only one who we know can survive whatever the hell you went through. Consciousness transfer? I don’t know. But anyways, we know you’re currently Beca from earth somewhere else– we should really start numbering and labeling the earths we’re monitoring – and so you’re the only one we know for sure can go through whatever process happened before. Sorry for the lack of technical terms, we’re still debating on how we want to call these things.”

“So you’re going to try sending me back with that thing now?” Beca asked.

“Not exactly. We’ve tried reaching your earth but I think because it’s still frozen, we can’t put in the exact coordinates. Instead we’re sending you somewhere as close to it as possible. If you make it, then, don’t worry about what happens next here, we’ll take care of it. You go get the girl. But if you don’t you’ll be sent to the closest earth in its proximity in the multiverse. We can try to do this three times each run, any more would be placing too much stress on your brain and body. We’ve set up a lifeline system for you so we can pull you back if we end up sending you to the wrong place. I mean, you have the freedom to explore, but you know, if you need to return, you can. Also, this is very important to keep in mind Beca, you’ve been here for a while now and you’ve made an impact in our lives, know that whatever you do in whatever universe we end up sending you would made an impact in their lives. So don’t let anyone know what we’re up to, okay? One more thing, since you’re physical body will be hooked up to our little invention here, you’ll be unconscious the whole time, and to that extent, the same goes with the Beca of our world. I’m still not sure what happened, but she’s in there somewhere, I’m thinking her consciousness is just being repressed. It could be that when the rift opened, her current state of mind was weaker than yours – she was probably very drunk – and that’s why her consciousness didn’t travel over to your world. So don’t worry about getting lost in the time and space continuum, I am most definitely sure you’ll still be somehow tethered to ours.”

“Got it. So how exactly will that lifeline of yours work?”

“Remember the images we tested with you three days ago? We’ve stored your responses to them from your monitored brain activity. So, we’re planning to send the image that invokes the greatest emotion of stress or fear using a pulse in the electrodes in your brain and pull you back to wake you up here since, one, you don’t exactly have your world’s body here otherwise we’ll have two Beca’s, and two, the only place you can return to is your own world, and if we can’t access it with our first run, then I don’t think we can access it any other way. Likewise, if you feel the same amount of stress from some sort of stimulus in wherever we send you, you’ll instantly be sent back to us. It doesn’t necessarily have to be fear, but something strong enough.”

“Sounds fun.” Beca deadpan. “Which image-brain measurement did you select?”

“The one with the evil clown.” Stacie said with distaste.

The evil clown.

Yikes.

Said image was the reason why she couldn’t sleep for two days.

Also the reason why she begged – and Beca was using the term loosely here – both Stacie and Aubrey to stay with her throughout those two long nights.

Beca begrudgingly agreed to everything, still not entirely convinced about what Stacie explained, but this was her only option, so…

Stacie’s staff prepped her and they soon found themselves underway with the first run.

The first time Beca woke up she was in an equally huge room as she did when she first woke up in this world.

If possible, it was even bigger.

Everything around her was all bleak and dreary. She explored the world a bit and found that she was living in the Mitchell Manor.

Lilly was running her company, Mitchell Enterprise, as some smart scientist on her behalf.

Stacie was a police detective and was still Aubrey’s wife – maybe Stacie had a point about the red string of fate after all.

The aforementioned blonde was the police commissioner.

She had Emily as some sort of ward she has taken under her wing.

Jesse was her butler. And very much aged too.

Her parents were gone, she was orphaned at a young age…

…Beca didn’t need much exploring to know what alternate reality she was in.

It did help that she stumbled upon a certain cave…

…with possibly ever cool gadget known to mankind.

Before she knew it she was striking fear in all of her city’s criminals.

And getting a little too worked up.

A certain confrontation on some rooftop somewhere almost sent her falling.

The initial panic causing spikes in her brain activity.

Which meant she soon woke up in Stacie’s lab with a jolt.

“Beca! Are you okay? You’re stress levels were off the charts! Where did we send you to?”

Beca groaned, ignoring Stacie’s questions. “I didn’t even get to see who she was in that universe!” she complained.

“What?” Stacie asked perplexed.

“You sent me to a world where I was Batman.” Beca huffed and Stacie couldn’t contain the laughter spilling out.

“You have got to be kidding me. And who was Joker?”

“I was just about to find out! But I think it’s one of the Trebles based on the height, I didn’t see his face though. Maybe Benji? I don’t know.”

“Do you still want to continue? I think you’ve had enough excitement for the day.”

“Nope, we still have two more tries, so I say we try.”

Stacie simply nodded as she had her staff help settle Beca back in place.

The second time Beca woke up, Chloe was the first thing she saw.

Apparently it was a world where she did attend Barden.

And they were dubbed the “Romeo and Juliet” of their acapella teams.

Because even while the Bellas were still an all-female group, the Trebles were a co-ed team.

With Chloe as a Barden Bella.

And Beca as a Treblemaker.

With a riff-off inspired by the scene where Mercutio dies, Beca decided to return to Stacie’s lab.

As much as she hated seeing the mental image of the evil clown in her head, she didn’t want to see the ending of the world she was in.

She didn’t like the end of the said Shakespearean play.

And while their ending would most likely be less tragic than that of Juliet and her Romeo.

She wasn’t entirely sure she could handle the rollercoaster ride that was to come.

The third time Beca woke up, Chloe was still the first thing she saw.

But as soon as Beca woke up, her brain activities spiked, stress levels even higher than before.

Because she woke up with a very much naked redhead in her arms.

With blood lining the corners of her lips.

And very sharp canines too.

Then Beca realized that the blood on Chloe’s lips was actually hers

Who knew vampire Chloe could be so seductive and enticing?

Beca was only starting to understand the allure to the supernatural when she was suddenly back at Stacie’s lab.

“You okay? We were getting different kinds of readings, I’m thinking a different kind of stress?” Stacie queried with an amused expression on her face.

“Shut up Conrad.” Beca muttered, incredibly flustered with her face flushed crimson.

Looks like Beca was going to at least have some fun with this.


	8. Mortal Enemies

The following day after Stacie’s first run of experiments was a busy one.

Beca had work to do, she needed to meet a few new artists, and all she could think about was vampire Chloe.

Stupid seductive, naked, alluring vampire Chloe.

All courtesy of Stacie’s scientific genius and ‘instrument’.

Sometime in the late afternoon, Beca found herself once again being pulled by Aubrey in one of their ‘Bellas Gathering’ missions.

“Why are you taking me with you every time you have to round up the cavalry?”

“Two reasons.” Aubrey said as she drove around town, picking Beca up from her studio that late afternoon. “One, you seem to be having quite an effect on the Bellas. Both Amy and Cynthia Rose are changing quite rapidly and for the better. Two, I might actually need your help with the two we’re visiting today.”

“The two? Who are we visiting?”

“Look, here me out Beca. I tried talking to them separately, but you know, I might need your charm to get them to how they are from all your stories about your world.”

“Who are we talking about here Bree?”

“Jessica and Ashley.”

“But they’re the best of friends! Totally inseparable!”

“Not in this world Mitchell. Not in this world.” Aubrey tutted, shaking her head.

“Why?”

“They just never got along I guess.”

Beca had no response to that as she sat thoughtfully throughout the rest of the car ride to some fancy looking Japanese restaurant for an early dinner.

The pair soon found themselves sitting at a private booth waiting for the two former Bellas to join them. Jessica was the first to arrive instantly settling in a conversation within Aubrey and instantly recognizing who Beca was.

Ashley soon arrived and Beca couldn’t help but notice the sudden change in the atmosphere.

Beca was sitting next to Aubrey, which by now the DJ had realized was actually a mistake.

Because that forced Jessica and Ashley to sit with each other.

Which then turned into a chopstick battle of who’s getting which sushi as soon as the food was served.

It took only five minutes before things escalated into a verbal battle and in an attempt to get the two to settle down else they get kicked out.

“She started it!” the two chorused.

And that was all it took.

Beca took a deep breath to calm herself before she gets her turn, Aubrey was doing well on the onslaught of words to reprimand the two, but even in between the two still manage to slip an insult or two. She couldn’t believe that in her world, her reality, the two bickering Bellas were even hard to tell apart from each other.

They were that close.

And yet that much apart with each other in this world. 

But underneath the tension, the fighting, the almost screaming match, Beca hoped that it was there.

Just a little lost under the rubble of whatever it was that tore them apart.

The real strength of their friendship.

“Enough!” Beca commanded. She kept her voice low but tone unmistakably sharp.

Aubrey immediately cease trying to get the two Bellas to calm down.

She didn’t have to.

Beca’s glare seems to be doing the job well on its own.

“You two are both Bellas. You two spent years of being teammates and living in the same house, tell me, how did you manage to keep it together then and lose it now?” Beca continued but both Ashley and Jessica stayed silent.

Secret admiration?

Jealousy?

Resentment?

Hidden truths?

Whatever it was, Beca knew that the two of them were thick as thieves.

So whatever it was that caused the rift between them didn’t matter.

Surely the fact that they’ve been constantly bickering is because they cared for each other, right?

That they’ve always cared all along.

They just couldn’t express themselves properly.

And all the meaning got lost in translation of the words they said and their very own actions.

Beca was one to talk.

She had too many “almost” and too many lost moments with Chloe. Too many of them she let slip away.

Too many moments when she almost caved but she tried to be blind to it.

Too much meaning lost in translation.

Maybe that’s why she understands.

And maybe that’s why she’s getting through Jessica and Ashley as she took over the reprimanding from Aubrey.

Because she knew from her own experience, the pain of taking the stitches off your own eyes to see what is truly there.

And the pain of stitching them shut in the first place.

Because to choose to feel nothing, to choose to push away what you were truly feeling, and maybe possibly hurting the one we were afraid might hurt us, was far worse than the pain of getting hurt because we chose to experience and live.

Beca never knew she had it in her to give such an eloquent speech about friendship, about forgiving, about understanding the miscommunication happening between the two.

Even Aubrey was a little surprised.

The evening ended with Aubrey’s expected results, that is, with Jessica and Ashley sorting themselves out.

Beca found herself alone in her penthouse that night staring at the picture she had of her mom with Chloe’s mom and Chloe herself.

And she couldn’t help but wonder what the memories of those days were like.

What playing with Chloe as a little girl was like and how they met in the first place.

And why she fell out of contact with her dad in this reality.

Was it for the same reasons as she did in her own world?

If only she could access this world’s Beca’s memories.

But maybe she didn’t have to.

If she fixed one rift, who’s to say she can’t fix another one?

She picked up the phone, dialed a number she found through some digging and personal research.

And with every ring she waited for the person on the other end of the line to pick up with abated breath.

What was she going to say if he answers?

It didn’t matter.

Maybe the fact that she was calling was enough.

At the very least she could start with “Hi.”


	9. World's Most Elusive Spy

Beca looked at Aubrey a little pissed and still a bit groggy for waking her up at seven in the morning.

On a Sunday.

It was day sixteen in alternate world-verse.

And Beca was getting impatient for wanting to go home and for wanting to meet the Chloe of this world.

“You can be pissed all you want but I really need your help here.” Aubrey started to say as she paced back and forth in the living room of ‘Casa la Mitchell’ while Beca slouched, all grouchy and everything, and wrapped around with a blanket as she sat in her couch.

“Explain to me again how I can help you with locating Lilly.”

“Again, I don’t know where she is.”

“So what possessed you to invite yourself into my place and drag me from my bedroom at seven in the morning from the fact that you can’t find Lilly? If you can’t find her, why do you think I can?”

“I don’t know, I needed help from someone reliable.”

“You must be desperate Posen if you think I’m reliable for the job. Where’s your wife?”

“She’s been stuck in her lab for days trying to help a certain B.M. phone home.”

“Amy? CR? Jashley?”

“Amy is still… err… making up for lost time with Bumper. CR hopped on the next plane headed to her hometown to do exactly what you’re doing, or at least planning to do, you know, win the heart of the girl she truly loves and pray it’s not too late. And seriously, ‘Jashley’? Ashley lives in San Francisco, she was only in town for some business thing and squeezed us in, and Jessica is with Chloe today.”

“I wish I were with Chloe today.” Beca mumbled.

It was the truth.

Plain and obvious too.

“Well you can’t and I need your help.” Aubrey stressed out. “I was trying to contact you yesterday, where were you?”

“I didn’t know I had a private plane until yesterday, why did you never tell me that before?” was what Beca chose to give as an answer.

“Why on earth is this relevant Mitchell?”

“I went to Atlanta for the day and got back early morning. Literally only had three hours of sleep before you woke me up.”

“What were you doing in Atlanta?”

“I went to see my dad.” Beca said simply and Aubrey understood.

She understood everything that needed to be said from there.

Like how Chloe would understand her with just one look.

Or how the Aubrey of her world would understand Chloe with just one look too.

Good grief, Aubrey Posen was truly her best friend!

After a few minutes of the silence that followed as Aubrey went to the kitchen to fetch Beca some coffee, Beca nudged the blonde who was now sitting next to her looking deep in thought. “So how do we find Lilly?”

“I have no clue. My own contacts said she’s doing some ‘jobs’ for the government at the moment but that things should wrap up soon and she’ll be back.”

“Okay, first of all, define ‘soon’. Second, where will she be back to?”

“I asked the same thing about ‘soon’ and got the vaguest answer. She lives in DC last time I checked, but you never know with Lilly.”

“So how on earth am I supposed to help you out with that information? Even in the world where I was a Bella, I had no idea where she kept disappearing to.”

“Lilly always shows up whenever a Bella is in need of her help.” Aubrey started.

“Again, not a Bella of this world. You know this.” Beca pointed out exasperatedly.

“I was talking about me genius. I need your help to send the message that I need Lilly here.”

“Won’t we be messing up whatever she’s doing for the government?”

“Lilly is the definition of pure awesomeness when it comes to… whatever it is that she does… she usually wrap things up faster, a little less perfect but perfect enough, and shows up with no problem at all.”

“So where do I come in?”

“You’re famous and connected. I don’t know, maybe slip something about your best friend Aubrey needing help with some serious matter whenever you chat with some of your famous and influential friends and she’ll probably here about it.”

“Sounds easy enough.” Beca said as she agreed.

A good three days later, a few run-ins with famous people, and Beca finds herself standing on the terrace of her suite with a mean looking woman in a ninja get-up stepping from the shadows.

Beca was sure she would be assassinated or something for a good minute or two before the woman revealed herself to be Lilly. 

To say that Beca almost had a heart attack would have been an understatement.

She was trying to say something Beca couldn’t quite get – some things never change – and instantly called Aubrey.

The blonde didn’t answer but thankfully she was already on her way to see Beca for a late night dinner mixed with planning for the next day.

Which was apparently a big day for some new experiments with Stacie.

But Beca wouldn’t know about that until tomorrow.

Lilly instantly warmed up to Beca as soon as Aubrey arrived and explained the situation to her.

The situation being Chloe getting married.

And Beca being in love with her.

Lilly was at first a little unsure on whether she would vote for Beca to win Chloe’s heart but she was somehow convinced by the tale of two children who made such an innocent promise when they were younger to find their way back to each other and marry each other someday.

After all, as Aubrey pointed out, it was one faultless way to simply tell someone you loved them.

Oh how everything was simple when we were young.

So Beca thought.

She made a promise that she would love and cherish Chloe for the rest of her life when she was like what, five or six?

And for some strange reason she seems to be holding on to that.

Beca couldn’t understand why or how, but she knew that that was the truth.

Like it was almost her most basic instinct even as a child to love the redhead.

The night somewhat ended peacefully, Beca making her way back to her room and looking at the picture in the frame.

She closed her eyes, only to wish to wake up in the arms of her own redhead.

Only she didn’t.

But something did happen.

A dream of sorts.

About two children who met in a playground somewhere in some town in Portland.


	10. Stacie's Second Round of Experiments

Beca was staring at Stacie as she prepped everything for their second run of experiments with her lab staff.

She was feeling both guilty and confused.

Because it felt too real.

And she wasn’t sure if the dream she had last night was this world’s Beca’s memory of how she met Chloe, or if it was her own imagination’s doing.

In the end the DJ settled for telling Stacie after she’s figured out a way to confirm everything.

Maybe a quick to Portland the next day?

It was day twenty.

Almost a month of having her reality, her world, frozen in time.

Almost a month of being stuck in the world she’s been in since the shooting star incident.

And Beca was desperate for any real sign of progress.

“You okay there Beca?” Stacie asked.

“Just a little nervous. But that’s totally normal.” Beca answered truthfully.

“Okay, you know the drill from last time. Just a quick update, since you’re stress levels with the evil clown picture is way too high for my liking we’ve changed the image for your lifeline.”

“What is it now?”

“Killer clown.”

“In what universe is killer clown better than evil clown?” Beca complained.

Sure evil clown was scary.

And killer clown only had crosshair eyes.

But the unsettling smile on his face, and that slightly tipped hat…

…there was something calm about him…

…when there shouldn’t be…

…that gave Beca an even deeper trauma from just thinking about it.

“In this universe.” Stacie answered with a straight face, breaking Beca’s reverie.

Beca looked at Stacie unamused. “Attempts at humor now I see.” she deadpanned.

“Well someone has too. Anyways, killer clown still does the trick with less irrational fear coming with the package so we’re sticking with killer clown.”

Beca grumbled, cursing under her breath before they got started.

The first time Beca woke up she was in some small apartment filled with computers.

She had an ankle monitor.

So house arrest, huh?

Apparently, in this reality she was a genius level hacker.

And Chloe was her FBI handler.

To earn her freedom, she had to work with the suits and track down the world’s greatest criminals with her mastery of the cyber world.

It was fun in the beginning.

The tension between her and Chloe quite enjoyable.

Except Beca could feel in her gut that it was going nowhere.

She still wasn’t back to her world.

And choosing to stay in this one won’t do her any good.

So it was time to conjure up killer clown’s image and return to Stacie’s lab.

The second time Beca woke up she was in some sort of barn.

And people around her were talking funny.

That was when she realized she was in some sort of fairy tale wonderland.

With Chloe as the princess who was to be betrothed to whoever knight or prince wins the king’s games.

Beca, ever so cunning, decides to participate in the games disguised as a knight, instead of being the miller’s runaway daughter, escaping her own wedding with some page.

It was also fun in the beginning, flirting with Chloe using whatever lines from her English literature class she could remember.

But it got all too real when flaming arrows were being shot towards the contestants as part of the games, increasing her stress levels and sending her back to Stacie’s lab.

The third time Beca woke up she was in some sort of private school. 

She was an incredibly young professor from England.

And she was to handle a small class consisting of the Bellas at a private school for girls.

With the catch that she was actually a wizard completing her training to become a Magister and find her missing father.

And that no one should find out about her secret else she becomes an ermine.

Except somehow Chloe ends up finding out her secret.

As well as Aubrey who happens to be the headmaster’s granddaughter.

And Stacie who was Aubrey bodyguard of sort who is incredibly gifted with a sword.

Needless to say, things get a little crazy with the hijinks.

Especially since Beca was around the Bellas age.

And they found her adorable.

Incredibly adorable.

There were even attempts to try and “undress” her a little for some sort of preparation for the school fair…

…and the fact that apparently harassing her triggers her to sneeze and magically release her powers…

…turning the clothing of anyone near her into cherry blossom petals drifting away…

…and Chloe’s usually the one nearest her…

…before anything else could happen, however, Beca imagined the face of killer clown and she woke back at Stacie’s lab.

“This isn’t working!” Beca complained as she immediately of the strange contraption holding her still during the runs.

Stacie simply laughed in response, taking note of Beca’s flushed cheeks. Somehow she found it amusing that every third place they keep sending Beca to always returned her in a flustered state.

“Quit laughing Conrad.” Beca then said.

“Sorry, it’s just… never mind. Look Beca, we’re trying real hard here, but I’m also running out of ideas. We’ll try to come up something soon, but it might help if you could access the memories of our Beca here. Not that I’m saying that she’ll know how to fix this thing and send you back, but you know, maybe you need to accomplish some sort of mission and things would just naturally happen.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be a scientist? Why are you giving me a suggestion to hope for some mystical mumbo jumbo to happen and send me back?”

“I’m not, I’m just saying, you’ll never know. Researchers worldwide aren’t exactly dealing with what we’re dealing now you know, so we’re all the help you have. We know we can send you to some other world, we just need to figure out a way to reach your own. I was thinking maybe some strong emotional reaction would trigger it, but to find out, we still need a lot of tests.”

“Stacie, I’ve been here for twenty days already. How much longer is this going to take?”

“Beca, your own world is frozen in time, and only your consciousness has transferred here, it’s not like you’ll be age one hundred when you return home. For now, there’s really nothing much we can do. So just focus on getting the girl and try and enjoy the life you’re living now, pick up some life lessons or two to help you out when you return home.”

“And what happens to this world’s Beca? To her memories?”

“I have a hypothesis that she’ll somehow remember the things that have happened but whether or not she remembers you were jammed into her cranial space too is a whole other topic.”

“How sure are you of this?”

“About eighty percent positive. In any case, we can help fill in the blanks if she can’t remember. We at least know she’s in love with Chloe too, right? So the two of you are essentially headed towards the same destination anyways.”

“Yeah, about that…” Beca started. If it means t could help, she had to tell Stacie about the strange dream.

Because maybe the key to sending her back to her Chloe lies within solving this world’s ‘irregularities’.

And actually getting this world’s Chloe to be with Beca.

This world’s Beca.

Even if it’s some other Beca doing all the work.

Because underneath it all, they were still the same person, they just faced different circumstances in life.

Some things just simply endures.

If anything, that’s something that Beca has learned so far both from Stacie’s hypotheses and experiments.

Because in every world, in any time or place, she always found herself running towards Chloe.


	11. Beca's Assistant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca’s been in a parallel universe for twenty whole days…
> 
> …and just as she thinks all of Stacie’s experiments aren’t doing any real good to help her go back home…
> 
> …she makes an interesting breakthrough. Thanks in part with talking to her amazing assistant Flo.

Beca worked the next day a little absent-mindedly and called it a day early in the afternoon, Stacie’s words the day before still echoing through her mind.

Because the ever so brilliant Dr. Conrad was of course right.

Emotions were the key.

When she was looking at the picture before she fell asleep a good two nights ago, emotions were what triggered the dream.

The memory.

She missed Chloe.

She longed for Chloe.

And she wanted so bad to know and see Chloe, even if it was this world’s Chloe and not the one she inadvertently left behind.

She remembered talking to her dad the other day too.

His surprise and delight at Beca taking the first step for reconciliation ever so clear.

Beca sighed as she slumped down her couch tired form everything that had been going on.

But apparently the day was just about to begin.

Beca was about to doze off when she woke up with a jolt from the sound of someone stomping into her living room. “Beca Mitchell! What’s this I hear about you going for a solid twenty days without sleeping with someone new?”

“Flo?” Beca asked quite perplexed at the sight of the Bella.

“I was gone for my well-deserved vacation for a month and all of a sudden you’re a changed woman? Is it about a girl?”

Beca stared at the version of Flo right in front of her for a moment. From the surface, nothing much was different. “I’m surprised Aubrey hasn’t told you.”

“Why would Posen tell me anything?”

“Well, she’s been gathering the Bellas for Chloe’s upcoming… err… wedding.” the DJ sincerely answered, the word ‘wedding’ being incredibly hard to say.

Or maybe it was the thought of the redhead getting married to someone else that made it hard for her.

“Who’s Chloe?” Flo asked, leaving Beca speechless yet again.

How could Flo not know who Chloe is?

Unless…

…she was never a Bella in this world.

“Is she the girl? Beca Mitchell, are you getting married?” the not-actually-a-Bella Flo asked incredulously.

“You didn’t go to Barden?” Beca asked, the words flying quickly out of her mouth before she could actually think about the consequences of her actions.

After all, this had the potential of turning out to be exactly like her interaction with Luisa the first day she was in this world.

Flo looked at her, face all scrunched up, as if she was trying to discern what was going on in Beca’s mind. “No.”

“How do we know each other and how do you know Aubrey then?” Beca asked herself a little too loudly as a response.

“Uh, earth to Beca? I’m your personal assistant.”

“I thought Jaime was my personal assistant.”

“She’s your second one. I’m your primary one.” Flo replied, this time being the one even more confused than Beca.

“Oh, right.” Beca replied, brushing off the topic. “Sorry, it’s been a crazy few days. Tried contacting my dad and just found out the girl I’ve been in love with since I was like five or six is getting married to someone else.” Beca answered truthfully.

Well, it was the truth for this world’s Beca at the very least.

“Oh my! You poor thing! You must be very exhausted.” Flo immediately said, reaching her hand out to pat Beca on the shoulder not knowing how to interact with the DJ. “And did you just say the ‘L’ word? God, this must really be serious.”

Beca chuckled. The DJ soon noticed the difficulty Flo was having with not knowing if she should pat Beca’s shoulder or hug her or what. She never really liked the thought of having her personal space invaded unless absolutely necessary for pleasantries, and even then it made her shudder. But it was different this time. 

She’s changed.

And she knew it.

She was sure too that it was thanks to a perky redheaded girl who was also the cause of her heart aching.

“You can hug me Flo, I think I actually need a hug.” Beca then caught herself saying and Flo obliged.

“So what’s the plan? Didn’t know you were actually in love with someone. Are you just going to let her go or are you going to fight for her?” Flo then asked as soon as she released the tiny brunette from her hug.

“It’s a little weird actually. I’m not sure she’ll know me when we meet. Oh don’t roll your eyes, I didn’t mean that’s she won’t know me as Beca Mitchell ‘badass DJ extraordinaire’. I meant, well, we met when we were younger.”

“Oh, a childhood friend then?”

“Sort of. But we haven’t seen each other for ages. And I apparently proposed to her when I was five or six, so you know.”

Flo laughed a little as she commented on how incredibly adorable and sweet that was.

But anything Flo had said just then barely registered to Beca.

How did she know she proposed to Chloe?

Given she had a dream about how they met.

But the part about promising to marry each other was still hazy.

And it came out so naturally.

As if it was the truth.

But of course it was the truth.

She remembered making the red strings and tying it around Chloe’s delicate fingers.

And it dawned on Beca that slowly she was being able to access this world’s Beca’s memories.

She must have been dazed for quite a while before she came to, Flo trying to get her attention again.

“Sorry, just remembered something.” she mumbled as a reply. “Hey Flo, uh, would you mind calling Dr. Conrad for me? You do know Stacie, right?” Beca asked and Flo nodded. “Great, ask her if she can swing by for dinner. I’ll call Aubrey for the same thing. Can you also make sure my schedule is free for the next couple of days? I know I have to meet that new artist the label signed tomorrow, I keep forgetting her name, but other than that, no work.”

“Sure thing Beca. Is this about the girl?”

“Sort of.”

“Then you do what you need to do. I’ve seen you waste your time with so many other girls who don’t deserve you.”

“Yeah, I guess I was trying to fill a void or something.” the DJ once again mumbled and Flo simply nodded sympathetically.

“She’s well within your reach now Beca, so don’t let her slip away. Let me know if you need anything.”

‘”I will.” Beca answered before grabbing her phone and making her way to the terrace to call Aubrey.

They were making breakthroughs and discoveries after all.


	12. The New Talent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Beca’s mind on when she’ll finally meet Chloe, will the news Stacie brings her be of any comfort? Or will the new artist she meets be more successful to building her confidence up?

Beca’s night was riddled with question after question.

It was starting to come to her, and oh so naturally too.

The memories of this world’s Beca.

Well, for as long as it related to Chloe that is.

And while it was a bit of good news, the relative ease that it comes started to worry Stacie.

Which definitely translates to not being a good news.

“I thought you’d be able to remember things, you know, take a peek at our Beca’s memories. Like you’re watching a video, and you were the viewer, not view things from the same perspective. Definitely not feel the emotions those memories invoke. By the sound of it, it seems like you’re memories – and to an extent, who you are – are fusing with the memories of our world’s Beca.”

“Which mean I could be one with your Beca?” Beca asked.

“Which mean yes, you could fuse entirely with our Beca. Best case end result, you simply slip back to your world. Worst case, you disappear.”

“No. Stacie, that can’t happen!” Beca protested.

“I’ll look into it. But if that happens, our worlds might end up merging, or colliding. Either way, the repercussions of such an event shouldn’t be ignored. Can you swing by the lab tomorrow after your earlier appointment?”

“I definitely will.” was all that Beca gave as a reply.

Which made Beca even more determined to wrap things up early with the new artist she was about to meet.

Who of course just had to be someone she actually knew.

“Legacy?” Beca mumbled as Emily walked into the studio with her manager.

“I’m sorry?” Emily asked genuinely confused.

“Ah, nothing, sorry. My mind’s a bit scattered here and there lately but don’t worry about it.” Beca quickly gave as a reply.

Working with Emily was easy.

She was pretty much the same Emily she met in her own world.

Other than the fact that she’s not a Bella.

Just like Flo.

So she had no idea about who Chloe is.

Never even met Stacie and Aubrey.

The Emily of this world also turned out to be just as talented as the Emily she knew from her world.

As talented and clumsy as she almost knocked over the mic stand in the booth.

“Careful there Ems.” Beca sighed.

Yeah, same old tall, talented and clumsy Emily.

Exactly like her version of the Legacy.

They finished up earlier than expected, which meant Beca had some free time before meeting up with Stacie and Aubrey at the lab. Emily thought it would be a great idea to try to get to know each other better since they would be working together lot in projects and such, so Beca accepted her offer for lunch.

“So what’s got you so distracted?” Emily asked. “Sorry, hope I’m not prying into your personal life or anything. I heard you were a very private person. I was just curious.”

“No, it’s no problem. Sorry for being a little spaced out when we met.” Beca replied and smiled back at Emily. “So Ems, not in college?”

“No, I am. Part time. My schedule has me constantly travelling, so I’m taking a lighter load for now. I’m trying to get the best of both worlds.”

“Good. Where do you go?”

“Barden. My mom was a member of this acapella team there. Flying in and out is insane but so far I’m loving it there.”

“Sounds good. And you should totally join them next year, the Bellas. That’s her acapella team right? My best friend was also a former member.” Beca then suggested, glad to hear that there was the chance for the Legacy to become a legacy.

Emily looked incredibly excited about it and started rambling endlessly about the stories of the Bellas she’s heard from her mom before she realized she was probably chatting Beca’s ears off. She cleared her throat as she apologized again, prompting Beca to laugh a little. “So what’s got you in a bunch?” Emily then asked.

Beca sighed, hesitant to answer, but if Emily was truly the same Emily form her world, then she knew she could – and should – probably tell her. She might actually be able to help her.

So Beca explained it anyways.

“See. The hard thing is, sometimes I feel like she’s too good for me. I’m too broken, damaged. But at the same time, she makes me feel better. That I’m better. That it’s okay that I’m a mess, and she doesn’t even try to clean me up or fix me. She lets me do it on my own, with my own time. She doesn’t force her ideal of ‘being fixed’ for me. Neither does she expect anything more than just being who I am.” Beca explained. She was totally talking about her version of Chloe to Emily, but what the Legacy didn’t need to know, she didn’t need to know.

“Sounds like she really loves you.” Emily commented.

“God, I really hope so.” Beca then said. “I guess the problem is me. I’m flaky. I keep running away from her every time we get so close. I never knew that the word ‘almost’ could hurt the most. We had too many of those. ‘Almost’. Just because I keep running away. I keep leaving her hanging, waiting. She deserves someone better.”

“I think you’re wrong. You’re being too hard on yourself. What if it’s not about who stayed, but about who came back despite of everything? What if it’s not about the number of times you run away, but about the number of times you came back? It doesn’t matter if you keep staying, if you never left, if it means you’re just settling for what is a sure thing. My mom told me once, life is all about its ups and downs, like what your heart beat is like in a cardiogram. It’s what tells you you’re alive. If you don’t have those moments when you’re at your lowest and you keep getting tested, and you don’t have those moments when you’re at your highest and happiest, then everything is stagnant. It’s a flat line. You’re not alive. Maybe the struggle is important so that you’ll learn to treasure what it is that’s right on front of you, ‘cause you know, you end up fighting so hard for it.”

“You know, you’re pretty wise for being so young.” 

“I’m not wise, I’m just quoting my mom. Sort of." Emily replied. It was the truth. “So are you going to fight for her?”

Beca looked thoughtful for a moment and smiled. “Yes.”

“Good. She’s one lucky girl then.”

“How can you say that when you already know my reputation? I heard your manager keeping you posted with constant reminders.”

“Because I can see you really love her, just from the way you talk about her. Besides, the Beca Mitchell not wanting any other lady around other than her must mean something, right?”

“Yeah, I guess it should.” Beca answered. “Thanks Em, I’ve got to go, but call me or whatever if you need me.”

“Hey, I should be thanking you! And if you need any help, give me a call too!” Emily answered back a little too enthusiastically. 

Beca soon found herself on her way to Stacie’s lab.

Emily’s words in mind.

She had to admit, she’s learning a lot from this experience.

Things she should have learned and realized earlier if she had not been so obstinately trying to be oblivious.

And from the people she knew too.

Well, different versions of them.

But it still counts.


	13. The Eureka Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Beca’s met all of the versions of then Bellas in the alternate world she’s in, there’s nothing left but meet the redheaded beauty who stole her heart.
> 
> But will the revelation of that Beca’s trump card for winning Chloe’s heart (i.e., tapping into this world’s Beca’s memories) might result in a convergence of the two worlds the longer she stays and the more she remembers stop Beca from finding a way back home to her Chloe?
> 
> Or will Stacie’s words reach her desperation and find the hope she needs?

“So I’ve ran some simulations.”

Those were the first words that flew straight out of Stacie’s mouth as soon as Beca entered her lab with Aubrey. She met the blonde at the parking lot, arriving almost simultaneously.

Stacie looked quite stressed out and overworked.

And for the length of time – twenty two days to be exact, Beca’s definitely counting the days she’s had to live without Chloe – she had been in this world, this was the first time Beca saw her like that.

Definitely not a good sign.

Stacie motioned for Beca and Aubrey to grab a seat before she continued to go on.

Yeah, definitely not a good sign.

“And?” Aubrey urged her wife on.

“Our worlds are definitely on each other’s trajectory. Our earth is moving closer to Beca’s world, and with the thin fabric of the time and space continuum still having an unresolved rift with Beca being here and her own world still in a standstill, there’s a chance the two worlds will end up merging and colliding.”

“You have got to be kidding me.” Beca deadpanned.

“There’s more, I’m afraid. The longer Beca stays here, the more she’ll be able to easily blend her memories with our world’s Beca’s memories – this I get from the readings of her brain activities from our experiments and from what Beca tells us herself. And as it seems, the more Beca remembers, the more our earth moves closer to Beca’s world. In other words, it’s what’s establishing the connection.”

“What happens when Beca remembers everything our Beca knows?” Aubrey asked.

“Convergence of the two worlds.” Stacie simply answered.

Beca groaned. “Great. This is just great. Can’t I ever get a shot at happiness? Why is it that when I finally found the strength to give it a go, things just keep rolling in to hinder said plan of giving it a go?”

“Beca, it’s not all terrible.” Stacie then said prompting confused looks from both Aubrey and the DJ. “I’m developing this item that can help send your consciousness back to your world when it’s time. I think I was right to hypothesize that emotions are the key, well emotions and the right conditions. We have to replicate the same events that happened the first night we ran our instrument and we have to get you to feel the same powerful emotion you felt before you woke up here. What was the last thing you remember from that night of the meteor shower?”

“I was telling myself that if I get a chance with Chloe, I’ll never let her go.”

“Then you go win Chloe.” Stacie said before Aubrey interrupted.

“We’re already on that. But hang on a sec here Stace, you said the same exact conditions as the night of the first meteor shower.”

“I know Bree, and as luck would have it the universe – or should I say the multiple universes? – is or are conspiring to aid us for our cause. There’s going to be a meteor shower in a month’s time.”

“But in a month’s time is the night before Chloe’s wedding? And won’t staying here longer only get Beca to tap deeper into our world’s Beca’s memories?”

“Right, so timing is essential with our DJ and Red, but we’ll figure something out.” Stacie said, before fumbling through the pockets of her lab coat. “Meanwhile I have this sort of medication for Beca to take, once a day only.” she then added handing Beca some sort of small package. “That should slow down our Beca’s memory to surface through this Beca’s memories.”

Beca nodded.

Everything sounded so complicated.

But she just had to put her faith in Stacie.

And whatever Aubrey was planning.

She could feel her stomach being tied in tight knots.

She was nervous, and afraid.

What if she never makes it back to her Chloe?

What if she does and Chloe still chooses to be with Kyle? Or in this world, with Jesse?

The odds were stacked up against her.

But she had to stick it out and fight.

Chloe was usually the one who builds her hopes up. But she wasn’t here now.

The next day was a rough one.

Aubrey kept her company explaining to her that Chloe’s already agreed to have her as her DJ, and that she was quite ecstatic too. She’s just been too busy with last minute wedding prep so she can’t meet with her yet.

Stacie was working double time in her lab to right the wrongs of the ‘tiny’ little lab incident that brought Beca here in the first place.

Amy and Cynthia Rose checked on Beca through phone calls and emails. Thankful once again for meeting the DJ, both expressing how they never imagined that the famous music producer could be such a good friend to them both.

Jessica and Ashley did the same thing.

Lilly invited herself over before Beca was even awake, leaving behind some souvenir from some foreign country she’s never even heard of.

Emily and Flo both dropped by at different times to spend some time with Beca, help build her confidence, just be good friends.

Nothing ever comes easy.

And no situation could be more complicated than the one she was in at the moment.

Beca had a quiet dinner alone. 

In other words, pizza and wings from her favorite place.

And that was the plan.

So she was a little surprised to see Stacie show up unannounced.

“Hey Stace. Pizza?”

“I’ve never known you to be homebody. You’ve really changed the Beca I know.” Stacie commented as she made her way next to Beca.

“Or maybe I’m just peeling away the layers and letting go of the pretense.” Beca replied.

“Maybe.”

“So what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be on your way home? I’m sure I’ve been keeping you away from Aubrey for far too long all thanks to helping me go back home.”

“Nah, Aubrey understands. Just wanna see how you’re holding up.”

“I’m fine.” Beca replied as she settled back to her earlier ace with the pizza and the silent droning sound of whatever was on TV that she wasn’t really paying attention to in the first place. 

“Stace?” Beca asked after a few minutes of silence, Stacie taking up Beca’s offer by taking a slice of pizza.

“Yeah Becs?”

“Why am I here? Why did this have to happen? Why couldn’t things have gone out as plan?”

“Nothing ever goes as planned Beca. I remember when I proposed to Aubrey, I thought it would be romantic as hell. Instead she got mad at me for three whole days because she was planning to propose during our anniversary. She was upset I beat her to it.”

Beca let out a little laugh. “That actually sounds like the Aubrey I know. Although it doesn’t make sense at all for anyone to react that way.”

“Yeah, well sometimes things just don’t. They happen even when we don’t want them to for a reason, and we only figure out what the reason is once everything is over.”

“Do you think I’ll get my happy ending?”

“I think you will. I’ve always known there was something more to you, the womanizing badass DJ that Aubrey introduced me to once upon a dinner party. We’ve never been this close, but I’d say we’ve become good friends over the past year or so.”

“Fast friends.” Beca then whispered with a knowing smile.

“Maybe not fast friends. I was a little worried you would try and steal my girl away from me Mitchell.”

“Not even in your wildest dreams would I dare to do that Stace. Trust me.”

Stacie laughed. “And what was that supposed to mean? 

“Nothing. I just can’t believe I was being such an idiot all this time! I mean, even in this world, you guys seem to find the right track, and I keep messing up.”

“I don’t think that’s true Beca. Technically you’re already engaged to Chloe if you consider that silly childhood promise to hold true. Besides, maybe Aubrey and I found our way to each other before meeting you – we met through the Bellas after all – but you helped out too. Cynthia Rose, Amy, heck even Bumper. And maybe that’s why you’re here, because we needed you. We needed you to fix us or parts of us, to get us to become who we are instead of just dreaming of becoming who we want to be. We needed you to let us embrace the truth of ourselves. And we needed you to realize the truth you’ve been trying to avoid every now and then too. We’re all learning from each other Beca, finding little wisdoms here and there through our situation now. And truth be told, even if Aubrey and I have barely seen each other the past few weeks, I think you’ve helped us grow even closer too. Even if it’s just to remind us to cherish what we have and how lucky we are.”

“Well, glad to be of service.” Beca said, her trademark smirk once again gracing her features after what felt like forever.

“That’s it Beca! Maybe what you need to do is to correct the wrongs, to make your way back home and fix your mistakes too.”

“What on earth are you talking about now Stace? We’ve already established that I need to go and get the girl.” Beca said in response to Stacie’s sudden excitement.

“No, I meant fix this Beca’s life, our Beca’s life, because the way she’s been living, she would have let our Chloe slip away. She’s given up on a lot of people, and even if she was holding on to the promise she made as a little girl to our beloved redhead, she’s not exactly trusting, you know. Not like you. You’ve placed your faith on me and Bree to help you out. You trusted us and let us in.”

Beca looked thoughtful for a moment.

That was true.

She didn’t even notice.

The walls she built around here were no longer there.

All gone from when Chloe first started breaking right through it.

Because she met her Chloe, and every time she tried to rebuild the walls, the redhead would tear it down again.

And it wasn’t just Chloe.

It was all the Bellas.

Amy, CR, Stacie, and yes even Aubrey.

She still kept her distance.

But she wasn’t that afraid anymore.

And Beca smiled at the thought.

“I think the only difference is Chloe really. Yeah, I met her here when I was younger, but I met her before my world crumbled and lost her when I was fortifying my walls. In my world, the walls were up first and she came smashing through without even faltering.”

“Sounds like our Chloe too.”

Beca laughed.

Looks like Chloe is the same Chloe no matter what universe or reality.

She could testify that from ‘Juliet of the Bellas’ Chloe to vampire Chloe to ordinary school girl Chloe living in a magical world.

Because no matter what place, what circumstance, what situation, they keep finding their way to each other.

The thought itself ignited that tiny spark of hope in Beca’s heart.

She promised when she made her wish after all, to never let Chloe slip if she gets the chance.

So her resolve was stronger now more than ever.

Because she’s planning to fulfill all those promises.

“You know what Stace, I’m starting to believe in that red thread of Fate you were talking about.”

“You definitely should.”


	14. The Bride and Groom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With all the zany things that’s happened so far, all Beca could dream of was to finally met the Chloe of the world she’s in…
> 
> …and finally, that moment has come…
> 
> …only, the love of her life is currently being heavily guarded by her fiance… Jesse.

Two whole weeks.

Who knew two whole weeks could be such torture.

Beca’s been busy, sure. Interviews left and right – mostly asking what’s with the sudden change in the DJ’s night life, and by that people mean the lack thereof – with speculations about the DJ finally finding love. Beca thought it would be best if she kept the childhood story a secret for now. Not until she sees Chloe again.

She’s also been working in the studio a lot with Emily, and her own mixes for Chloe’s wedding.

One might wonder why she would even plan a set list for all of the events that revolve around the wedding of a certain redhead but it was a must.

A few ‘innocent’ songs here or there was thrown into the mix.

But every other song was about how she felt. About fighting for Chloe, wooing her. 

Telling her she was in fact in love with her without actually telling her.

It was all part of the plan after all.

Aubrey also seems to have a plan.

She was just not telling Beca what it was in an attempt to make sure that the DJ doesn’t ruin the plan.

Like that was ever going to happen.

No, that actually might happen so it’s been very smart of Aubrey to keep it a secret from her.

Stacie’s also been busy with prepping things in the lab and finishing up the ‘item’ that would help send Beca back home when the time comes.

And the time was most certainly coming.

Beca was just about to find out though.

Aubrey called Beca to come and meet her at their place.

For the length of time that Beca was in this alternate reality, she’s only been to Aubrey and Stacie’s place once.

And that was three days ago, when they invited her for dinner, realizing that they should probably have Beca familiarize/re-familiarize with the place for their plans to unfold successfully.

Whatever those plans were.

Beca made herself at home while she was waiting for Aubrey to reappear from her study. The blonde claiming she was just finishing some paper works. She had no idea what she was doing in Aubrey’s place that afternoon, but her best friend did say it was a matter of great importance.

Her thoughts jumped around to things about any updates from what Stacie was working on or something urgent with Chloe.

Did Stacie make a breakthrough yet again?

Because every single time that it felt like they were making any progress, some new problem comes up.

And she just really wanted to have a new breakthrough that had no strings attached.

She also still didn’t know what made this world’s Jesse to be such a ‘jerk’, just that he simply just that.

Beca was getting impatient with all the waiting so she placed her trusty ol’ headphone – hanging on its rightful place on her neck – over her ears, leaving a light gap over one ear to hear Aubrey just in case she needs Beca, and turned up the music.

At the very least to quiet down her thoughts.

And before long, she was singing along.

More like spewing out Dr. Dre’s part from ‘No Diggity’, but same thing.

And for a while it was just Beca and the music.

She didn’t even notice when Aubrey walked into the room, totally not alone.

“Wow, I heard the infamous DJ can sing but I didn’t know she can rap.” she heard her say, Aubrey’s laughter fading away like background noise compared to her own musical laughter.

Just the sound of her voice made Beca’s heart jumpstart and immediately go into overdrive.

God she missed that voice.

Beca jumped out of her seat, headphones falling back to its place around her neck, as she turned around to face her. 

Red hair.

Blue eyes.

And the most brilliant smile Beca has ever seen.

Aubrey let out a chuckle. “And here I was certain you’d be the one slack-jawed upon meeting DJ badass here.” Beca heard her say to Chloe.

Beca automatically glared at Aubrey. A warning or heads-up could have been nice. 

Because, yeah, Beca may never admit it since it sounded so cliché but she’s been dreaming about this moment for what felt like so long.

“Sorry.” she then muttered towards Chloe’s direction. “Been out of it for a while.”

“So I’ve heard.” Chloe responded with that magical laughter of hers.

There she was.

Standing right in front of her.

And all rational thought flew out of Beca’s mind.

For that matter, Beca was pretty sure breathing also flew out of her mind.

Because after what felt like forever, Chloe was there. Finally there.

And it would have been perfect.

If Jesse didn’t choose that time to enter the scene.

“Hi, Jesse Swanson. So I hear you’re Beca Mitchell.” was what he chose to introduce himself with.

Aubrey sat right next to Beca as the DJ got to know the couple better.

Chloe was Chloe, throw her in any world and she’ll always be the same.

If anything, it only endeared her more to the tiny brunette.

Jesse, on the surface, looked like the decent and nice and sweet and kind boy she knew from her word.

Only he wasn’t.

He was disinterested for the most part about whatever Beca was talking about, or Chloe, especially if it involved anything regarding the music for their wedding.

Whenever he said anything, it was pretty much just about what he does, his work, himself.

God, he was so full of himself.

Beca was trying so hard to keep her composure every time he opened his mouth.

He would make inappropriate and crude remarks too whenever the opportunity arose.

Especially about the DJ’s romantic pursuits.

And truth be told Beca knew that Jesse was only there for two reasons.

One was to meet Beca and hopefully be able to network and use her connections.

Selfish, pompous ass.

Two was to keep an eye on Chloe, like she’s his possession. Like she’s some shiny trophy or expensive artwork he was just showing off.

And Beca just had to sit there, take it all in.

Even when it was gnawing inside her.

The jealousy and the anger.

The hurt and the pain.

Because Aubrey was right, Chloe deserved better.

And it was quite clear that Jesse was simply with Chloe because she would look good on him. Maybe for other reasons too, but Beca didn’t like to think about those other reasons. It only made her blood boil even more.

Thankfully it didn’t last long. An hour in – because yes, Beca was counting each and every precious second she gets to spend with Chloe knowing she’ll have to say goodbye – and Jesse was already complaining about getting to dinner reservations they made or something.

Beca really didn’t pay much attention.

She was too busy concentrating on faking a smile on her face and fighting the urge to just punch him in the face and make is nosebleed.

Beca never felt the urge of punching someone in the face as bad as she did at that moment.

She was quite surprised at the amount of self-control she exercised. She took in a deep breath before releasing it in a huff as soon as Jesse disappeared to get the car.

It didn’t go unnoticed.

“It was a pleasure meeting you Beca. And don’t mind Jess, he can be a little…”

“Don’t mention it.” Beca quickly said, interrupting Chloe mid-sentence. “Hey Chlo, mind if I call you Chlo?” she asked and Chloe shook her head with a smile. “Um, you know, if you ever want to talk more about the stuff you need or anything...”

“What my best friend here is trying to say, if you want to meet up without Swanson and work on what you wanted for your set-list better, Beca and I are both free anytime this week.” Aubrey then jumped in, rescuing Beca who seemed to be drowning in her own words. “We’ve been keeping our schedule light. Beca specifically.”

“That would be great. Still can’t believe I’m standing right in front of you, the Beca Mitchell. Did Aubrey ever tell you how we won Nationals our senior year at Barden?”

Beca laughed a little. Was this Chloe fangirling over her a little?

Well, whatever the answer, she did enjoy the fawning, especially if it’s coming from the redhead.

But before their little interaction could become even more, they heard Jesse honking his horn.

“We’ll talk soon?” Aubrey said for Beca.

“Oh, totally, yeah. See you Bree. See you Becs.”

“See you Chlo.”

Beca hated watching Chloe go. She couldn’t help but think if this is what her Chloe felt every time she walked away.

If it was then it felt like crap.

It felt really bad.

Like your whole world was crushing down on you, slowly crumbling at the edges as the person you love slowly disappears into the horizon.

Everything fades to black.

And nothing’s left but an unnerving numbness that comes once you realize how vulnerable you actually are.

Every single fiber of her body wanted to run after Chloe and stop her from leaving.

But she reminded herself to be patient, wait for the right time.

And she promised herself this would be one of the last times she’ll ever let Chloe walk away from her.

Somehow Beca felt something tugging in her memories, telling her that this wasn’t the first time she saw this redhead walk away. Her thoughts flashing images of a bubbly eight year old walking hand in hand with her mother, stealing one last look from Beca as they left the playground.

At the very least, seeing that old red thread still tied around her ring finger peeking beneath her engagement ring gave her hope – Chloe probably kept trying to re-adjust the place of the knot as she grew up.

She knew that deep down Chloe still held onto the promise they made each other when they were younger.

Did Chloe know, did she realize that she was that girl?

God, she hoped so.

But even if she didn’t, all will be revealed in time.

And the thought that Chloe was still holding onto that memory of the girl she met ages ago was enough to warm Beca’s heart.


	15. A Promise Made by Two Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca finally meets the Chloe of the parallel world she’s in. And she finally remembers the crucial memory of how they met in that world…
> 
> …and with her wedding to jerk-face Jesse ever so near, Beca decides to take a chance and risk telling Chloe about the little girl she met at a park and promised to marry not so long ago.

Beca was alone for the next two days.

For the most part.

She decided to work at home, mostly meeting only with Emily. But on that particular day – day thirty nine – she had her penthouse all to herself.

The wait was maddening, even more so than before. She had been keeping her schedule incredibly light, as promised, so that she can accommodate Chloe whenever she planned to meet-up.

But still no word.

She was lying on her couch, headphones on, singing softly along to the current song playing as she tried to rest and clear her head.

Jesse was so lucky to have Chloe, and it was still bugging her that her beloved redhead was with this version of Jesse.

It was just not fair.

Chloe deserved better.

And while she’s not exactly the perfect definition of ‘better’ for Chloe, Beca was so damn sure she’ll do whatever it takes to prove to the redhead that she deserves to be with her.

Because Chloe simply makes her better too.

So yeah, the fact that Chloe’s about to get married within less than a month or so wasn’t exactly appealing and it’s driving her nuts. She heard from Aubrey that she’s been engaged to Jesse for a good eight months before the wedding date. 

She could have had eight months of trying to vie for Chloe’s affection.

But apparently whatever it was going on between Aubrey and Jesse – Stacie couldn’t stop but emphasize just how much they actually hated each other – was enough to postpone the search for a DJ until the whole situation had happened and the opportunity presented itself.

Or for that matter, seeing each other again.

Thus, she had a little less than a month

A little less than a month to try and fight for the promise made by little children not so long ago.

And considering this reality’s Chloe has never seen Beca in person for ages makes it even harder. Because if people change over weeks or months of not seeing them, how much more when its years that’s keeping them apart.

Yep, the odds are stacking up against Beca.

And she hates that something intangible such as Fate and love, and the ideals of being soulmates or ‘the one’ for each other are all that’s keeping her hopes up.

But even though Beca wasn’t exactly a believer of ‘happily ever after’ or ‘soulmates’ she does believe in one thing, that she loves Chloe.

And that Chloe loves her too.

Somehow, some way.

Beca was still singing along, a little bit louder now as she got up pacing around in her own living room as she tried to think up of a way to show Chloe exactly how she feels.

 

I can’t take seeing you with him  
‘cause I know exactly what you’ll be  
In his gallery  
Just not fair  
and it’s tearing me apart  
‘cause you’re just another priceless work of art  
In his gallery

 

“Yo’ Shawshank! Hope you don’t mind us dropping by!” Amy greeted, Bumper right behind the blonde with what looks to be take-out food from Beca’s favorite café.

Beca stopped mid-song a little surprised at the sudden visit, but a little bit curious at the nickname Amy just used. 

Especially because the Australian had no reason to call her ‘Shawshank’ in the reality she’s in at the moment.

“Shawshank?” Beca asked as she followed Amy and Bumper into her kitchen, the two easily settling down as they prepared the food.

“Yes. Amy seems to think it’s fitting since you broke us out of the seminary and the convent.” Bumper answered in place of Amy.

“So what’s with the visit?” Beca asked, not that she was complaining. Having company was somewhat nice lately, it keeps her from going insane with her current situation.

“No reason shorty, just haven’t seen you for a while is all.” Amy then said, handing Beca her share of the meal.

Beca wasn’t sure how but somehow the conversations and the company flowed out easily and carried over for a solid two hours as they moved into the living room.

She didn’t even mind having Bumper’s company around.

Which she knew was a totally and completely weird thing to say.

“Didn’t know you were having a party Beca.” Aubrey said as she walked into Beca’s penthouse a little amused.

And Beca was thankful that she was totally not alone.

“Amy? What are you doing here? And Bumper too?” Chloe said amused.

“Hey Red, just visiting the DJ here. And oh yeah, we’re totally buddies.” Amy replied.

“Am I the only one not connected to the DJ here?” Chloe then remarked as she walked into the living room, taking in the sight of the open floor plan of the penthouse – totally missing Aubrey’s teasing smile at Beca and the tiny DJ nudging the former fearless leader of the Bellas. “You’ve got a sweet place Becs.”

“Thanks Chlo.” Beca mumbled. She was still adjusting, taking in the sight of Chloe.

Because Beca knew, she realized with their time apart, that she could only keep still when Chloe was around.

She could breathe.

She could rest her mind.

She could feel her heart beating again.

All because Chloe was all that Beca knew she needed.

“Maybe you should go and talk somewhere private, yeah? I mean I did bring Chloe here to get you guys on planning for music and mixes and stuff for her wedding.” Aubrey then said while giving the DJ a nudge, breaking the reverie that had taken a hold of Beca while Chloe was briefly catching up with Amy and Bumper.

“Oh, yeah. Definitely. My studio’s this way.” Beca started to say as she pulled on Chloe’s hands.

“You have your own studio at home? Wow.” Chloe commented but Beca didn’t hear it. She realized that this was the first time in months – not counting the obligatory ‘I missed you’ hug Chloe gave her back in her world – she could actually feel Chloe, the warmth of her skin, her touch. It all sent butterflies flying in the pit of Beca’s stomach.

Beca showed Chloe around her home studio. They talked a bit about what Beca had in mind for the wedding and all but most of the time the two of them just talked about pretty much everything.

Chloe asked about a lot of things, from current projects and plans to how she met Aubrey because apparently the blonde was simply brushing it off, like meeting the Beca Mitchell wasn’t such a big deal. Beca gladly answered the questions she knew the answers to, still not accessing every single memory this world’s Beca had.

The DJ in return learned a lot about Chloe too. Her life at Barden with Aubrey and all of the Bellas, how she met Jesse – which Beca fought to consciously block from her memory for the most part since it sounded like the Treble initially only pursued her to annoy the hell out of Aubrey and mess with her head to throw the team chemistry off with the competition in mind, what with the Bellas pact and all.

Beca felt a little uneasy with the questions regarding her current love life – because by then everyone knew that the infamous lady killer DJ has been laying low, prompting rumors about possibly finding someone – and Chloe could tell there was truly a story behind it. 

And Beca had to laugh, finding it only too adorable how this reality’s Chloe was just like the Chloe she knew from her world. She was curious, Beca was being all coy about it, only making the redhead wonder even more about what Beca could be hiding.

But before Chloe could press her with any other questions her phone rang. 

Jesse was looking for her.

Dinner plans again.

And so Chloe left.

Possibly taking with her Beca’s ability to breathe.

And maybe a bit of her sanity too.

The next day was bit busy for Beca. She wasn’t expecting any other run-ins with Chloe, and she knew Aubrey and Stacie were both busy for work. 

So Beca decided to do actual work for a while, asking for Emily to come over to work on her upcoming album and make good progress on their work.

“I’m totally sorry, didn’t know you had company today.” Chloe said as she walked with Flo into Beca’s home studio.

“Chloe! Oh, uh, no. It’s fine. Didn’t know you’d be dropping by.”

Both Flo and Emily could notice that there was some sort of tension in the air. The two exchanged looks, and by the way Beca was trying to act cool and not totally flustered made them realize who the redheaded beauty could possibly be. “Sorry, I’m the one who insisted to meet with Beca here, the name’s Emily.” Emily said as she introduced herself to Chloe.

“I think I should be the one to apologize.” Chloe then said a little embarrassed.

“No worries, we’re pretty much done for the day anyways.” Emily quickly said. “See you around Beca. Thanks for everything!”

Beca watched a little amused but mostly dazed as Emily and Flo quickly showed themselves out, giggling and silently muttering between themselves like high school teenagers.

“Are they okay?” Chloe asked amused.

“Sometimes I wonder that myself.” Beca answered with a smirk.

Before long the two were back to their usual flow.

With the oh-so totally obvious tension between them only growing stronger.

Beca decided to show off a little, realizing weeks ago that she actually had some mad skills in the kitchen, as she prepared lunch for the two of them. Chloe volunteered to help a little, the two constantly bumping into each other on the way to get something out of the fridge or get something from one of the cupboards. 

The DJ couldn’t help herself but notice the little exchanges, the twitchy behavior after a brief brush of skin, the nervous smile that always broke out when they kept catching each other’s gazes.

And it kept going on all day as Chloe settled in with Beca in the living room while the DJ was making some changes on her mixes for Chloe’s wedding.

Did it hurt every time she remembered the phrase ‘Chloe’s wedding’? 

Like hell it did.

But having the redhead stare at her amazed and in wonderment as she worked her magic was enough to soothe away the pain.

Being in incredibly close proximity to each other also helped. If anything, Beca could tell, based on the lingering gazes, on the restraint that Chloe was trying to demand of herself to try not to be her touchy-feely self, that there was definitely something there. Because, yeah, whenever she’s with Aubrey and with her brief interaction with Amy, Beca could tell she was just as affectionate as her Chloe.

Like the chemistry was always right.

And something changes in the air, in the atmosphere, whenever the two of them were right next to each other.

At first, Beca thought it was just because they just met. Chloe probably didn’t want to behave inappropriately around someone as big and famous as Beca.

But right then, when it was just the two of them, Beca could feel it.

She could hear it.

Both their hearts were beating at the same time. 

They were beating as one.

Creating the most beautiful rhythm.

“What?” Beca said with a smirk as she caught Chloe stealing yet another glance.

“We never did get to the bottom of your mystery girl.”

Beca closed her laptop and set it aside, getting up from the couch to stretch her legs a little. She’s been huddled with Chloe for a good two and a half hours working on mixes and stuff, showing her how to do it. She didn’t even notice how easily they tangled themselves up with each other, as if it was how they were supposed to be at every given moment.

Beautifully tangled.

Exquisitely intertwined.

“Let it go Chlo.”

“I’ll let it go if you show me around your place, still haven’t really appreciated it in all its glory.”

“There’s nothing really much to see.” Beca argued but Chloe pouted and it did wonders on her. 

Beca reluctantly agreed, she really didn’t have much of a choice. She walked Chloe to the terrace showed her the view of the city form there. They went back to Beca’s study, making it a pit stop in their grand tour of ‘Casa la Mitchell’ before heading to Beca’s studio. They settled down there, with Beca shifting uncomfortably in her own chair, spinning her swivel chair from side to side, under Chloe’s intense gaze, she still wanted to get to the bottom of Beca’s mystery girl.

So she settled for giving her a shrug.

This, of course, only made Chloe even more persistent and the DJ found it funny how easily they’ve settled into the usual swing of things that was the norm for the two of them in whatever world she finds herself in. “Oh come on Beca, who is it? Is it some famous celebrity?” Chloe asked as Beca shook her head, her trademark smirk plastered on her face, only annoying Chloe even more.

The DJ was very much tempted to say “You” but she decided to hold off on that.

Instead Beca sighed, leaning on the backrest of her chair. She had an idea. “You’d think it’s silly.”

“Come on, try me.”

“It’s stupid, trust me.”

“Beca!” Chloe protested shooting her the most adorable pout with the matching puppy dog eyes.

Sometimes Beca wonders why she even tries.

She always gives in to what Chloe wants anyway.

Always.

Beca sighed. “I met this girl.” she started to say sounding a little hesitant at first upon giving in to Chloe’s demands. Chloe squealed like a little girl, feeling incredibly happy that 

Beca had decided to trust her with her little secret.

Boy if she only knew.

The redhead placed back the book she had picked up as they entered from one of the bookshelves, trying to play it cool as she proceeded to pretend to browse Beca’s small library of books. “Hey, I’m still listening you know.” she commented.

Beca smirked. Of course she was.

“I haven’t seen her for a long time. I think, you know, I’ve always had feelings for her. It’s just stuff happened. Life happened.” Beca started as she found herself staring on the floor, not quite having found the strength to look at Chloe.

She had to remind herself to speak, her heart racing a little too fast for her to keep up.

Because if she proceeds she’ll end up telling Chloe her little secret.

That she was in love with her.

And there was no turning back from that.

The fear of how Chloe might react was taking hold of her, paralyzing her.

But she reminded herself that the last time she let fear take hold she ended up a little too late.

And waking up in a parallel universe to her own.

Beca sighed. “Anyways, I met her when I was like five or something. At a playground of all places. There was a group of boys around her age, which basically meant older than me, and they were teasing her. So, being the ‘badass’ little version of me, I punched one of the boys in the face and he ran crying to mommy.” 

By then Beca dared to steal a glance at Chloe and she saw the read head intently listening to every word she was saying. Her body tensed, eyes locked on the page of a different book she had picked up.

And if Beca allowed herself to believe it, she could tell that Chloe stopped breathing right then and there.

Just like she did.

But Beca had to continue, despite fully knowing she was treading on very fragile ground.

It hasn’t even shattered yet, but Beca could already feel the pull of gravity.

“We became best friends then. Incredibly fast friends. She was there only for a few weeks to visit family, then she had to leave. It was strange, I was younger but she was the one who started crying on our last day together in the park. So I did what I thought was the most sensible thing to do. I pulled some of the loose threads from my red shirt and tied one around her ring finger. I asked her to do the same and she looked at me with a knowing smile as I promised that we would meet again. That nothing can separate us and that one day we’ll find a way back to each other. She promised she’ll always visit and she repeated everything I said before.” Beca said slowly, Chloe was still frozen with the book she was holding as she took a deep breath, not daring to glance back at Beca. The DJ knew the rest would be harder to say. She took a deep breath and looked away, not sure she could had the strength to see how Chloe would react.

“Then she told me she loved me, kissed my cheeks and said that we were practically married. I said not yet. So I asked her to marry me someday properly and we made a promise to marry each other. It’s so stupid, we were kids and technically I had no idea what I was saying. But I still made that promise because it was the truth of how I felt. And somehow I guess I’ve always held onto that promise. Don’t get me wrong, that promise got buried underneath the crap life threw my way. The anger and pain and all of life’s bitterness took me over. Music was my only lifeline, it was the only thing that kept me alive and so I chased after it, trying to fill the void that was all I had left other than music with other things. But I still remember that promise, and on some days I wonder if I’ll ever meet her again. Because I didn’t get the chance to tell her then that I loved her too.”

Beca thought it amusing, how easy it was to tell the truth when we were younger. How easy it was to tell someone they loved them.

Despite what the world thought.

Like somehow the innocence of youth allowed us to see that it didn’t matter, nothing else mattered when it came to love.

Love was love. Simply that.

No rules can contain it.

Not even logic could explain it.

In the wise words of a particular famous writer ‘Love simply is’.

And she wondered why she let that chance slip away, as the memories came flooding back to her.

The memories of two versions of Beca intermingling.

She loved Chloe Beale from the very start.

She just didn’t realize it sooner because life made it harder to see.

Overthinking made it harder to accept.

But now Beca could see it.

It was the simplest truth in her life.

“I still do. Love her, I mean. I think I simply always did.”

Beca chanced to look at Chloe again saw the silent tears trailing down the redhead’s cheeks as she tried to contain a sob breaking through. 

Chloe closed the book and placed it on the self, her hands quickly wiping away the tears. “Do you remember what she looked like?” she then asked Beca, her voice sounding shaky.

“Blazing red hair, like yours. Brilliant blue eyes, like yours too.” Beca replied slowly, almost in an inaudible whisper.

But Chloe didn’t miss anything. “But no scar, right? Yeah, I got that two years later in a biking accident.”

“Chloe.” Beca muttered as she stood up from her chair, uncertain if she should move towards the redhead and close the distance or not. Chloe simply looking back at Beca, glassy eyed with a broken smile, like she was torn about something.

“I looked for you.” Chloe began to say.

“Chlo.” was Beca’s response, daring to take one step closer to Chloe.

“Beca, I can’t.” the redhead replied in a low whisper before she ran out of Beca’s study, thousands of thoughts coursing through both their minds, emotions taking over them.

And Beca could have decided to let it be just that.

Surely her response meant she chooses Jesse, right?

But no.

Chloe said that she can’t.

Not that she won’t.

Not that she doesn’t feel the same way.

So somehow Beca managed to find the strength and ran after Chloe.

But the redhead was gone.

Yet instead of feeling the despair of possibly losing Chloe for good, she felt something different.

From the way Chloe looked at her.

From how her voice sounded so confused.

There was hope.

She was holding onto that promise too.

It was just life also decided to happen for Chloe and she chose to live it, even when Beca wasn’t there in the picture.

That’s why Beca settled on letting Chloe go for now, she needed her space, she needed time to think.

So even if she felt like she was falling down.

Slowly.

Endlessly.

She held onto that hope.

Onto that promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Beca sings in this chapter is called "Gallery" by Mario Vasquez. It's a pretty good song so if you relate to the lyrics, you should check it out!
> 
> Thanks for reading the fic so far and sticking with the story! Comments are also always appreciated.


	16. Prelude to a Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when everything you've always wanted is standing right in front of you?
> 
> Will you take the risks, no matter how great they are?
> 
> Or stick with what you know?
> 
> Chloe's not sure herself. The answers are there, clear as day, but will she allow herself to see them?

Did Chloe know?

A part of her always did.

She came back that following summer only to find that the girl she promised to marry had moved away.

And they never saw each other again.

She didn’t even hear from or about her again.

Not until she heard Beca’s first mix on the radio.

Did she wonder if it was the same Beca she met ages ago?

She couldn’t remember her last name. But when she saw a picture of the then increasingly popular DJ, there was a part of her that told her it was her.

The girl who’s stolen her heart.

And forgot to even let her know.

Didn’t even bother returning it to her.

But Beca was a star, how could Chloe even dare and dream but reach her?

She held her once, but time had passed.

Time had changed.

And she had to move on.

That’s why Chloe dated.

That’s how she ended up being with Jesse.

Jesse who was always sweet when she’s around, who would be dependable on dates, on anniversary and gifts, who was a hard worker and beloved by her parents.

Even though she knew something was missing.

More than the fact that he and Aubrey hated each other.

And that he kept messing with Bellas heads when it came to competitions – he was incredibly competitive, he hated to lose.

But Chloe could feel, their relationship was convenient.

Safe and secure.

A sure thing.

And Beca was busy chasing away fame and fortune… and apparently women.

To try and chose Beca would meant taking great risks.

And what if she didn’t even remember her?

Yes, Beca was a shooting star Chloe wished upon once.

She made her wish come true, if only very briefly, and then it was time to go.

Still Chloe knew she loved her.

And she never did stop loving her.

It was so silly, so stupid to think. They knew each other for three weeks…

…but it felt like they’ve known each other for lifetimes. 

So when Aubrey told her about getting Beca Mitchell as the DJ for her wedding – and apparently Beca was a good friend of hers, how did she not know this any sooner? – Chloe was off to the moon.

The magic, the butterflies, that incredible high, they all came rushing back.

Yeah, it was silly and stupid. 

She didn’t know for sure it was the same person, the little girl Beca and the famous music producer and DJ extraordinaire Beca.

Not until they actually met.

Because Chloe could never forget those steely and stormy blue eyes reflecting the fire burning deep within her.

‘Cause isn’t the blue core of the flame hotter?

And she didn’t even know why she was pushing, knowing that she could still end up being wrong, knowing that Beca had probably forgotten her.

She didn’t even have the heart to tell Aubrey anything about it; that Beca was the girl she talked about always, like she’s known her longer than she’s known Aubrey.

It wasn’t until Beca started talking about the girl she met when she was younger.

That was when things finally really hit her.

While her heart was thumping loudly against her chest, threatening to burst.

In all those years, all this time, she was in love with Beca.

 

She fell for her when she was younger, with all her childhood innocence of the world.

Even when she wasn’t sure after they met again, she started falling for her – all over again – right off the bat.

And falling for her never ends.

Because falling for Beca was so simple and easy.

Like a giant wave crashing against Chloe, taking her over, swallowing her whole, but instead of drowning she found that she could breathe again.

After a long time of just merely struggling to gasp for air.

Yeah, falling for Beca was so easy.

So natural.

And so different from how it was with Jesse.

Chloe had no idea why she ran, and how she found herself standing outside Aubrey’s door.

But as soon as the blonde opened to answer the door, Chloe was sure about the first thing she said.

“You didn’t tell me.”

Chloe stormed in, past a surprised and confused Aubrey. It wasn’t late that night yet but Chloe had been wondering for a good few hours as her thoughts took hold of her.

Because all her thoughts were scattered and constantly jumping between Beca and Jesse, between all that she ever wanted and what she already had.

But at this moment all she could think of was why Aubrey didn’t tell her what she knew, if she knew anything at all.

“Didn’t tell you what?” Aubrey asked for the second time but Chloe totally missed hearing it the first time.

Chloe wanted to know if she was mad or hurt or sad that Aubrey might have kept this from her. She settled for trying to understand and process the situation first, after all, Aubrey’s always done the same with her.

“Where’s Stacie?” Chloe asked confused as to the lack of the brilliant scientist in the household.

But it only worried Aubrey a little more because clearly the redhead was a little spaced out. Aubrey knew Chloe only too well, and she could tell that Chloe was thinking a hundred different thoughts at the same time.

Which was bad.

“Work. Chloe, you’re shivering, and were you crying? What’s wrong?” Aubrey asked, helping Chloe over to the couch, Chloe laying her head down on Aubrey’s shoulder while the blonde held her best friend.

“You’re her best friend Bree, how could you not know.”

“What on earth are we talking about here Chloe?”

“Beca.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

Aubrey nodded slowly. She didn’t know what else to say.

“So you did know then? And you didn’t tell me why?”

“Chlo, you’re marrying Jesse. I didn’t want it to seem like I was just desperate to stop the wedding because I don’t like him. That would have been unfair to both you and Beca.”

“Bree, I’ve been in love with Beca since I was a little girl! Don’t you think telling me you’ve found her was pertinent information? I kept talking to you about her, and you kept telling me it was silly.”

“Chlo, I’ve known Beca for almost two years now and I only found out about a month ago. And you’re still in love with Beca?”

“A month! And you didn’t tell me?”

“Hey, don’t change the subject, you just said you’re in love with Beca.”

“You’re the one changing – ”

“Irrelevant. You’re in love with Beca?”

“I… Well…” Chloe mumbled before she took a deep breath. “Yes.” She said as she sighed.

“Oh Chloe.” Aubrey commented, taking the redhead in her arms.

“I don’t know what to do Bree.”

“Of course you do, you follow your heart.”

“But it’s not that simple. I’m not even sure if we’re still the same people. Bree, it’s been ages ago, it’s been years. We’ve grown, we’ve changed. We became the people who we are now. What if we’re not the same, you know? What if the Beca I fell for is gone and I’m just holding onto that image.”

“I hardly believe that Chlo.” Aubrey said sincerely. “I think you fell in love back then not to who Beca was, but who she is at her core, like, I don’t know how to explain it to you. Just think about it this way, I think you fell in love with everything that was Beca, who she was before you met, who she was when you did, and who she will become, all because you can see her for who she truly is, all of it. And I think that’s the same with Beca.”

Chloe nodded. 

What Aubrey said felt true. 

But she was still afraid.

Afraid of who they’ve become, afraid of the distance the years had placed between them.

She knew Jesse. He was safe. Chloe could predict what he would do next, and if he did decide to hurt Chloe, somehow she knew it would hurt less than if Beca ends up hurting her.

Because to her Beca was the wild card. The brunette was already dubbed ‘DJ Casanova’ for a justified reason. Not that Chloe was a saint either. She’s had her fair share of trouble. She was just afraid that the pressures, the dark days they both had to live through, would catch up to them.

And she was afraid that Beca may no longer be enamored to who she’s become. That she’s in love with the image of Chloe she had from her memories.

The only thing she knew for sure?

It was all overwhelming.

Because everything she’s been wishing for was now right in front of her.

The dream she was all but ready to give up on.

If she chases after it, there’s a chance it will fail.

So would it be better if she just gave up now?

Save herself the pain.

Stick with what she knew.

Or would it be worth it to risk it all?

And take that chance.

Maybe end up finding the most beautiful and precious of all the treasures this world has to offer.

Because Beca was like a fiery fire in her coldest winters.

The most refreshing rain.

And the way she felt about her could definitely move mountains.

Just her touch shakes her core, sends a shiver down her spine.

Like electricity was constantly flowing through her veins.

And when their eyes meet, it’s like seeing fireworks everywhere.

Fireworks and sparks that never go away.

Then there’s that pull, the one she feels at the pits of her stomach. Like gravity was simply pulling her to where she belonged.

And if it was gravity, then would she really dare and fight it?

Chloe was about to say something when reality came knocking at her door, chasing away the dream.

Jesse was calling. He was probably home.

Waiting for her to come home to him.

And that was what Chloe believed to be home.

So why did it feel like she was so guilty for running away?

Not from Jesse.

But from Beca.

Chloe knew the answers.

But the question is, would she allow herself to see it?


	17. Too Many Variables, So Little Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To switch things up a bit here’s Stacie’s chapter. My geekiness might have gotten me carried away with the first parts…
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the Staubrey.
> 
> Next chapter will be Aubrey's.

It’s remarkable really.

How everything is made up of numbers.

How you can know everything there is to know in terms of digits.

Coordinates.

Simulations.

They’re all about crunching the numbers.

Remarkable.

And how we’re made up of chemicals that keep undergoing reactions in a certain way, with all the right conditions that experiments can’t even perfectly replicate, keeping us alive.

They can come close as much as they want.

But you can’t replicate the universe.

The tiny universe that is the mesh of DNA replicating, cells interacting, neurons firing ions, chemicals inducing sensations and reactions.

And the big universe, matter, earth, space, and apparently the fabrics of time and reality.

It’s all so purely remarkable.

We are all specs of dust in comparison to the big universe.

It’s like we’re the molecules.

Like we’re the DNA that carries its genetic component.

We – from our interactions, reactions, decisions – are what’s keeping it alive.

In the same way that it sustains us.

What’s even more remarkable?

How us tiny humans even find our right match.

Our perfect base pair.

The one that fits.

Stacie leaned on the back rest of her chair, pleased at finally completing her invention to help Beca find her way home when she almost jumped at the sound made by the glass doors of her main lab swishing open.

It was a little past midnight her staff and interns all resting in their warm homes. But Stacie’s working overtime. Their world had slowed down on its rate of colliding with the Beca’s own, and the medication she’s given the DJ is helping to make sure the memories of two Beca’s don’t completely converged.

Still, work overtime she shall, because she won’t be able to breathe easy until everything is as it should be. There was lot at stake.

And Stacie’s was sure too that none of her lab workers understood just how much was at stake, to them she’s just babbling on about the significance of their studies as usual.  
So she wasn’t expecting anyone else to be there at all.

“Hey you, look what I brought.” Aubrey said with a smile on her face as she walked around the work bench that separated her from Stacie and placed the box of assorted pastries from a nearby patisserie and two cups of coffee.

“And what brings you here Bree?” Stacie said with a wide grin on her face as her wife leaned down and kissed her first on her forehead, then on her right cheek, and finally on her lips.

“Nothing, I just missed you.” Aubrey answered truthfully as she sat down on Stacie’s lap and the two settled in a comfortable position, Stacie wrapping her arms securely around Aubrey.

“What’s on your mind, come on, tell me.” Stacie then said as Aubrey reached for the box and took a bite of a cookie. 

Aubrey sighed. “Chloe came by to see me.”

Stacie hummed, placing her chin on Aubrey’s shoulder. “And?”

“She’s in love with Beca. I think she never stopped loving her.”

“I figured.”

“You figured?”

“Yeah, look, we’ve been assessing all of the world’s Beca visited. She’d tell us what the world was like, you know, her alternate reality, and everything she witnessed happening. Everything she experienced and felt.”

“Stace, I already know this.”

“In every world, she falls in love with Chloe, and Chloe falls in love with her. Well other than the Batman alternate universe, she woke up from there before meeting Chloe.”

“There was a Batman reality? Why didn’t I hear about this before?”

“That’s what you got from what I just said?”

“Sorry. But you’re telling me all about this later.”

“Nope, doctor-patient confidentiality.”

“Fine, I’ll torture it out of Beca later.” Aubrey commented, and Stacie could tell she was only half joking.

The other half was deathly serious.

“Anyways. So you’re telling me your hypothesis panned out. In every world, every universe, no matter what circumstance, they’re meant to be together.”

“Yep.”

“Like there’s this strong unstoppable force pulling them together. Something divine in nature if not completely beyond the realms of our, your, scientific understanding.”

“You know, I believe that I saw something once that scientifically explained soulmates somewhere on the internet.”

“I’m being serious Stace.”

“Fine. Then yes.”

By the Aubrey untangled Stacie’s arms around her only so that she could intertwine their hands together before wrapping them around her waist once again. “And us?” the blonde asked.

“Ah, so that’s what you’re interested in.” Stacie commented with an even wider grin than before. “Apparently even in the Batman-verse we were together so I’d say we’re meant to be too.” She answered before giving Aubrey a quick peck on the cheeks.

“Okay, then that makes me feel better. Chloe will sort herself out, choose Beca, and they’ll live happily ever after. And we’re going to give them a huge nudge in the right direction.”

“Are you still hell-bent on your little covert operation with the Bellas?”

“Of course we are.” Aubrey answered back, emphasizing on the ‘we’ part of the statement. After all, they were all in this. “How are you holding up on the scientific end of things?”

“I’m good. It’s really up to Beca and Chloe. Chance too.”

“Who’s Chance?”

“No, I meant chance as in possibility, likeliness, serendipity, you know. Fate.” Stacie answered with a chuckle.

“What? You had an intern named Lucky once. Then another named Serenity. And let’s not forget Dreamy, who I still think is a long lost fairy tale character.” Aubrey answered, a smile taking over her face. “But seriously, fate, huh?”

“Yeah. To be honest, most experiments are successful by chance. You don’t know what will happen until it happens, and sometimes you try fifty different things, changing one variable at a time to see how it affects everything else, until you just happily stumble upon that magic formula that works. I know it sounds so unscientific, but if it works, it works.”

“Stace, what will happen if Beca fails? If our earth converges with hers?”

“Our realities will mix, become one. My hypothesis is some aspects of our reality will transfer over and some aspects of theirs will remain.”

“And us? What if our memories mix? What if some things get erased?”

Stacie looked properly at Aubrey, she could see it in her wife’s searching eyes the fear of the uncertainty that might take hold of what they’ve known all their lives. The uncertain Fate of their memories and everything they hold sacred.

And truth be told, Stacie was scared too.

She doesn’t have an answer to that question.

Not even a hypothesis.

As much as she wants to have one.

She’s only holding onto what she knew was true.

She loves Aubrey.

And she knows she’ll always love her.

Come what may.

“Bree, it doesn’t matter. Whatever happens, we’ll always end up here, together in each other’s arms, okay? So don’t worry. I’ll love you in whatever world or reality we get thrown into. We’ll find our way to be together.”

Aubrey stole a quick kiss on Stacie’s cheek before taking a deep breath and releasing it with a smile on her face before she reached out for a macaron handing it to Stacie.

And what was Stacie to do but dutifully took a bite out of it from Aubrey’s hands.

“Okay. I trust your instincts here Stace.”

Stacie simply smiled back.

The unknown always freaked her out a little.

Especially the ones without an answer.

But her brain can only process too much information at once.

And she knew for a fact too.

That somethings are simply left to chance.

To Fate.

Or to whatever divine force it was that designed the universe.

Whether it was that designed it from the big one to the tiny one, or in the reverse direction, reflecting its complexity at each stage.

She can only do so much to comprehend and contribute to the understanding of this complexity.

Having the right conditions at the right time.

And now that she’s done her part.

All she could do is be in awe of the ever expanding universe.

Watch as things unfold.

And hope she was at least partially right with all her educated guesses.

For all the Bellas.

For Chloe.

For the Beca’s of both realities.

And most importantly, for Aubrey.


	18. DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aubrey's trying to be patient, she really is, but she just couldn't get why her two best friends just won't get it together when they clearly belong with each other.
> 
> Because even when they're in a room filled with the brightest stars, commanding the presence of every single person in the room, Beca was all that Chloe could see, and the redhead was the only one who kept the DJ's attention.
> 
> That's why Aubrey's hoping that maybe music might get them together...

Chloe has been Aubrey’s best friend since they met their first year at Barden.

And in all of those years she’s learned to know the redhead inside out.

Her every thoughts.

Her every emotion.

Even her own heartbeat.

That’s why when Jesse met Chloe during the Aca-initiation night their senior year she knew her best friend was charmed.

And Aubrey would have been happy for her. She was actually tempted to scrap the stupid pact and all for her to be happy.

Chloe, after all, had already had a string of relationships with both guys and girls treating her less than what she deserved. At a glance, Jesse was the shining knight. The perfect match for the redhead.

Besides, Chloe kept going on and on about a promise she made with a little girl before that they would marry each other someday. And even though Chloe was still somehow holding onto that promise – being a hopeless romantic and all – Aubrey could tell that as the years went by she was starting to lose hope of ever meeting her again.

The blonde could feel her heart crushing under the weight of the reality of the world swallowing her whole.

Jesse might be the one to pull her out of her hapless and hopeless daydreams.

Except the cunning wolf used his relationship with Chloe every chance he got to mess with the Bellas and Aubrey’s help.

Step one was to plan dates during Bellas rehearsals or the night before so that Chloe would be late.

Step two was to delete messages and reminders on Chloe’s phone about Bellas rehearsals whenever he could.

Step three was almost successfully hijacking their set-list during Regionals – which almost ruined her relationship with the blonde. The two argued about Jesse a lot and how he was affecting Chloe’s dedication to the Bellas but when Jesse stole a song they were going to perform for Regionals by having the Trebles perform it too, they barely made it through to Nationals with their impromptu remedy of mixing the song with something else. 

Something Aubrey has never mentioned to Beca once, at least not until the whole mess of a Beca from a different reality waking up in theirs one unsuspecting morning started.

Because they used her first ever mix on the radio as an inspiration for it.

So yeah, to say that Aubrey and Jesse hated each other was an understatement.

On some level tiny miniscule level, Aubrey knew that Jesse probably loved Chloe.

Only he was a possessive, selfish, callow, competitive jerk who uses his prince charming patented enchantments and his memorized stockpile of the most romantic movie lines to get what he wants.

So maybe Jesse was the perfect knight in shining armor.

Because he dazzles you with his false perfection.

He needed the shining armor, essentially.

Beca on the other hand, now she was the diamond in the rough.

Aubrey had always believed that the person you truly love will stay forever.

Everyone else will just passes by.

Beca never for once pretended to be something she’s not, well, at least not for the length of time Aubrey had known her both personally and as just someone watching from afar.

She had walls, layers upon layers of it, but Aubrey could always tell there was some precious light underneath all those.

The DJ was always sincere.

She had no time for bullshit.

Sure she chased women, but Aubrey could tell that it was mostly an act. Her way of protecting herself from getting hurt.

If she never invests anything, her time and affections, she’ll never get hurt when the relationship inevitably crashes and burns, right?

Aubrey always felt bad for her with that. Like she was just hurt so bad that she rarely trusted anyone.

That’s why when she found out that Beca was the little girl who once upon a time promised to marry little Chloe, Aubrey was all up for it.

Supported it a hundred percent.

Just from the note she found scribbled at the back of the picture frame she’s found.

Aubrey knew she could trust Beca with all of Chloe’s heart.

And of course she knew that she could trust Chloe with Beca’s too.

Because Chloe was the hope underneath all the chaos and darkness that was unleashed from Beca’s Pandora’s box.

It’s been one whole day since Chloe found out. But not a word from her.

So Aubrey thought she’d take matters into her own hands. They have very little time, and it was mostly wasting away.

Beca was definitely freaking out the next day although she was trying to calm herself down, Flo was able to help with that when she reminded the DJ that she had promised Luke she would play a special set for the opening of her new nightclub.

Beca looked excited about it for some reason and as soon as Flo left she shot Aubrey a questioning glance.

Which, to be honest, confused her a little.

“How do I know Luke from this reality?” 

“Luke was the son of the club owner where you had your first gig. He’s taken over the business and you’ve been good friends since. He was the one who discovered your talent in the first place. That’s all I know though, you never told me how you met. Why are you asking?”

“He never went to Barden?”

“So I take it that in your reality he did? No, he didn’t.”

And Beca simply smirked.

She never did tell her anything, just that she should definitely come to the event, even to bring Stacie, Amy, Bumper, and for that matter, anyone of the Bellas available. After that, Beca immediately called Luke to let him know.

So what did Aubrey do with that information at hand after a day of not hearing from Chloe?

She invited her over. Girls’ night only to the private event that was the opening of one of the hottest new clubs in LA.

Because Aubrey took the infamous smirk as a go signal to invite her other best friend to said event.

So the following night they were all in a stretch limo – Amy, Jessica, Chloe, Stacie, and herself.

Emily and Flo joined the group for a little while before mingling with all the other famous stars at the party.

Aubrey breathed a sigh of relief as Chloe seemed to be forgetting her worries for a while. She freaked out a little when she saw Emily and Flo for a moment, thinking that Beca would not be far off, and Aubrey could tell that the redhead was probably unsure if she was ready to see Beca or not.

It was clear that Chloe wanted to see her.

She wanted to be with her.

Just that her thoughts were still all jumbled up, still very much in deep confusion of what she should do.

But when the house DJ that Luke had found had taken over for his own set after the few formalities that Luke’s father had set-up, welcoming the guests and all, Chloe found that the music breathed some new life into her.

“The guy isn’t half bad.” Stacie leaned in to whisper into Aubrey’s ears. “Care to dance now before you know who sets the place on fire with her magical musical genius?”

“Hush, Chloe might here you.”

“You didn’t tell her?”

“I might have left that detail out.”

“I’d advice for you to tell her now but it would be a little too late.” Stacie then commented as Luke went over to the DJ booth.

Chloe slid closer to Aubrey after having had enough of Amy’s ‘amazing stories’ – all of which had accumulated and transpired over the last month, and to which Chloe was sure she was going to be emotionally scarred for life with hearing the details of what Amy and Bumper where up to – to ask the blonde what was going on.

Luke gathered everyone’s attention and began his introduction for the DJ taking over for a special set, thanking his guests whenever he got the chance too.

“Although I honestly don’t think she needs any introduction. I was lucky enough to meet her by chance once at a coffee shop of all places, but she’s been a good and dear friend ever since. What can I say, I’m a sucker for anyone who can sing a good song accompanied only by a cup. So I’m happy she’s made it a special priority to share some of her best work with us tonight. Ladies and Gents, it’s the big BM herself, the one and only heartbreak DJ, Beca Mitchell.”

Chloe froze as the crowd went wild staring at Aubrey with an expression that for once the blonde couldn’t read. Her eyes then quickly shifted to Beca, stepping up on the booth and shaking the house DJ’s hands, giving Luke a hug. She was wearing her trademark smirk as she took the chance to say a few words before getting started. “What can I say, gotta give thanks to the guy who gave me shot in the first place, right? So Los Angeles, you all ready to party?”

She was answered by a roar of excited cheers and chants mixed in with some really enthusiastic “Yes!” and “Hell Yeah!”

Beca started her set, with a few particular songs in mind. She started with a mix of ‘Titanium’ to which Chloe instantly grabbed Aubrey’s wrists a little too hard as a sort of knee-jerk reaction. A mixture of surprise, embarrassment, and a bit of anger on her face.

“What?” Aubrey asked.

“Bree, do you have something to do with this?” Chloe asked suspiciously.

“Believe it or not Chloe, this is all Beca.”

“Then why is ‘Titanium’ the first song on the list?”

“Because it’s the first mix she played on her first gig? She tells that story in every interview Chlo.”

“Right, this has nothing to do with you telling her that ‘Titanium’ is my jam, my…”

“I’m stopping you right there Chlo. The fact that I know that little tidbit of information is still bothering me.” Aubrey then said, making a face.

Before Chloe knew it ‘Titanium’ was slowly transitioning into some of the DJ’s lesser known mixes then followed by her mash-up of ‘Just the Way You Are’ and ‘Just a Dream’.  
Chloe blushed.

Aubrey didn’t need to wonder why.

Catching Beca stealing glances at the redhead and all.

And she couldn’t just help but wonder why, or for that matter what, those two were still waiting for.

They were clearly meant to be with each other.

What else could it be?

Because even in a place filled with many different people, some commanding the attention of the whole room with their mere presence, all they could see was each other.

Aubrey shot a glance at Stacie’s direction, smiling after seeing that her wife was looking at her the whole time too.

Oh, why couldn’t Beca and Chloe just get it together already?

Aubrey was already sure what Stacie would tell her.

All in good time.


	19. When Everything Else Simply Fades Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So what happens when you take away everything else? When it’s just Beca and Chloe being who they are, and nothing else in the world matters? The truth is what happens, that’s what.
> 
> But will the truth of how they feel for each other be enough?
> 
> Or will reality come knocking, crashing their happy little bubble of ‘perfect’ happiness as it catches up to them?

Beca found herself heading straight for the private booth where Aubrey and Stacie were sitting with Amy and Jessica.

And more importantly, Chloe.

It was day… she wasn’t actually sure anymore.

She stopped counting the days since Chloe found out.

The whole ‘I’m the girl you promised to marry when we were little kids’ thing, not the ‘I’m Beca form an alternate universe’ thing.

Because yeah, that would be a little out of this world.

Somehow Chloe was the only thought that consumed her day and night.

God, was this really what being in love felt like?

The DJ could still feel the rush after just finishing her set.

Which, if she would be honest to anyone who asked, was purely and entirely dedicated to Chloe.

And she was definitely glad to see that it had the desired effect on the redhead who was smiling shyly at her direction before being swept up in a tight embrace by a rather tall blonde.

“Jesus! Luisa! What are you doing here?” she immediately spouted out after being placed back down.

“Now there’s the Feisty Maus I know! I heard from Luke you were playing a special set tonight. And what’s this I hear about you behaving around the ladies?”

“I, uh… hmm… How about I let Aubrey explain to you.” Beca muttered, grabbing Luisa’s hand and pulling her towards the booth where her friends were.

She figured she could have Aubrey and Stacie come up with something for the German – or if they decided to let her know the partial truth of being in love with Chloe, that would be fine – she just definitely does not want to start spewing out nonsense that would make her sound insane or something.

Especially when it’s something along the lines of inter-dimensional travelling.

Beca got to the booth with both Stacie and Aubrey jumping up their seats and hugging the DJ to congratulate her before introducing Amy, Jessica, and Chloe to the German.

And she definitely thought she saw Chloe making some sort of face as the German shook her hands and joined them, sharing a few personal stories about Beca.

The DJ would have definitely gotten all flustered about it, but she mostly tuned it out.

Her eyes locked on Chloe who she could tell was a bit jealous of Luisa.

Beca couldn’t help but smirk.

“Still, that was amazing DJ Shawshank!” Amy then said finally catching Beca’s attention.

“Oh, that was nothing.”

“I don’t believe that. You’re incredibly talented Beca.” Jessica complimented.

“And that’s what I’ve been telling meine kleine Maus, but she keeps shrugging it off.” Luisa commented placing an arm around Beca’s shoulders. “What do you think Chloe?”

“She’s great. Awesome.” Chloe mumbled before standing grabbing her purse, “I’m just gonna head outside for a while, I think I need some air.”

Beca watched as Chloe excused herself and made her way throw the crowd of people dancing to a mix of some of Usher’s songs. She grabbed Aubrey’s hand to stop her as she was about to follow the redhead out. “I’ll check on her.” Beca stated as she excused herself, following Chloe out, never for once taking her eyes off of the redheaded wonder who had stolen her heart.

“You didn’t need to storm off you know.” Beca sighed as she ran a hand through her hair after finally catching up to Chloe, the redhead stopping on her tracks before slowly turning to see the DJ having followed her out. They were quite possibly about a block away from the newly opened club by then, Beca wasn’t sure, all that mattered to her at the moment was Chloe.

“And you didn’t need to follow me you know.” Chloe replied sounding a little uncertain.

“Yeah, I don’t think you really gave me a choice there Chlo.” Beca answered, taking one step closer to the redhead only to illicit the same reaction as before.

“Beca, I can’t.”

Beca’s brows furrowed together before taking a deep breath and heaving out another sigh. “Why, Chlo, just why?”

And Chloe just stared back at Beca in confusion, a little unsure of what to say, a little unsure if she’s going to end up spilling her heart out.

Beca knew, she understood.

She’s worn the same look on her face whenever she just wanted to be with Chloe but was worried she’d hurt Jesse.

When she’d steal glances, talking to herself that it was nothing.

During those tiny little moments and flashes of truth where she doesn’t allow herself to think and just allows herself to feel.

Before she starts deluding herself into thinking that Chloe was just a very special and dear friend.

“Screw this.” Beca said and before Chloe could react Beca grabbed onto her wrist and started to pull her away back to the direction of the club.

Except they don’t enter back in.

Instead, they find themselves standing outside of Beca’s car as the DJ opened the door asking for Chloe to get in.

“You shouldn’t drink and drive.” was the first thing Chloe said as she looked at the waiting seat inside before her eyes landed back to Beca with a questioning glance.

“Didn’t have a drink.” Beca commented. “Come on Chlo, just… how about for tonight, we don’t let anything else matter. Can we pretend that tonight we’re just two strangers who just met? Take an adventure somewhere and disappear for a while. What else have we got to lose?” 

Chloe simply glanced back to Beca, a smile forming on her lips. “This is crazy.”

“No it isn’t.” Beca replied. “Hi, my name is Beca Mitchell, music producer and badass DJ extraordinaire.” she said as she extended an arm out to Chloe who couldn’t help but giggle. “I hope you don’t mind me staring but you look a whole lot like this girl I met before. She doesn’t know it but she’s the light at the end of my tunnel, you see. And I just couldn’t stop myself from getting lost in her eyes.”

“Is that how you get all those girls to sleep with you?”

“No, and we’re supposed to be strangers meeting for the first time here.”

“Fine, my name’s Chloe Beale. Enchanté.” Chloe said, reaching for Beca’s hands.

“So Miss Beale, would you mind if I ask you to keep me company for a while. It’s a beautiful night and it’s such a shame to waste it all alone.”

“If I say no?”

“It would leave me heart broken.”

“I’m sure you’ll find someone else to bide your time with, spend the night with doing more interesting things too.”

“I’m afraid they won’t be as interesting as company as you. Somehow I know with you, I’m not just going to be biding my time. Besides, anyone else would surely fail in comparison to you.”

“Really?” Chloe snorted.

“Truthfully.”

“And if I say yes?”

“Then maybe I might just find everything I’ve been looking for.”

Chloe simply smiled in response accepting Beca’s invitation.

That’s how Beca woke up the next day in the arms of her most beloved redhead.

They were laying down some sort of blanket – that for some reason was stashed in Beca’s car – on some spot at the beach. The two of them ended up driving to the beach, stargazing all night while talking about anything and everything.

They talked about things they’ve missed out on each other’s life.

Why Chloe decided to attend Barden and her memories of the Bellas.

A few things Beca could tap from this reality’s Beca’s memories, throwing some of her own private thoughts and emotions she felt growing up.

And at least for that night, nothing else mattered.

The world around them simply disappeared.

Everything felt perfect.

And that’s how they found themselves simply dozing off at some point.

Then Chloe’s phone started to ring.

Beca tried so hard to ignore the ringing, hoping it wouldn’t wake Chloe up.

But it did.

And reality came crashing back down.

Thankfully Chloe never got to answer the call because her phone died.

But the two of them did know it was time to get back to what was waiting for them in the real world.

The drive back to the city was spent in comfortable silence.

But as they got closer and closer to the destination, the air that surrounded them got heavier and heavier.

Because Beca didn’t want to let Chloe go.

“You can drop me off here.” Chloe said and Beca obligingly pulled over by the entrance of some apartment building somewhere downtown.

They sat there in silence, neither wanting to say goodbye.

It was Beca who broke the silence, her voice weak as the realization of what was going to happen soon was catching up to her. “You’re marrying him. You’re marrying Jesse.”

“Well, I am engaged to him.” Chloe replied, her voice light and airy trying to hide the pain and sadness she felt.

But Beca didn’t miss it.

“Then don’t marry him. Don’t do it if you can’t. If you don’t love him.” Beca pleaded. She was little but astounded by the new found courage as she found how easy it was to let the words simply slip right out. 

“Beca, it’s not that simple.”

And Beca stayed silent for a while. “Why?” she asked, even though she only knew too well why.

Because it was the same ‘why’ she’s used over and over again in the past.

Only she was hoping Chloe would be better at the whole ‘realization’ part.

“Beca I’m still so confused about all of this. And I… I honestly don’t know.”

“Do you love him?” Beca dared to ask, her voice sounding so weak, like it was going to break.

She was afraid of what Chloe was going to say in response. But she didn’t respond. “Do you love me?” Beca then asked with a shaky breath.

But Chloe still didn’t answer.

Instead she leaned in closer and pressed her lips on Beca’s cheeks.

Softly.

As if it was but a fleeting moment.

And with that Chloe got off.

Taking with her Beca’s heart in pieces.

But Beca knew, Chloe didn’t need to say it.

She definitely loved her too.

And if it were only the two of them, it would have been so easy.

But Beca understood Chloe’s predicament only a little too well, being in the same spot for years.

That’s why Beca decided to keep the hope alive and wait.

After all Chloe waited too, right?

She’s been waiting all this time.

And Beca knew she eventually realized how she felt herself.

She was sure Chloe will be able to sort things out too.

It was only a matter of time.

Problem is, time was running out.


	20. The Bachelorette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With reality sinking in, will Beca be able to compete with it and whisk away all Chloe’s doubts?
> 
> And will Chloe be able to see that all she’s ever wanted is right in front of her?

Chloe knew, she should be squealing, or jumping up and down for joy. For God’s sake, she should be excited. It was after all her bachelorette party, and the promise of a night of unexpected events, mischief, and crazy shenanigans was ahead of her.

Especially since a certain Dr. Conrad was the one who picked her up, blindfolding her and everything, before ushering her to what felt like a car – or possibly a limousine considering she’s hearing the distinct voices of a lot of different girls with her. After all, the Bellas were all there.

Little did Chloe know that all the Bellas, and then some, were there for a reason other than her bachelorette.

But with all the excitement – or lack thereof – aside, all that Chloe could think of was how amazing the other night had been with Beca. They just laid there on the sandy shores of some picture perfect paradise of the beach, watching the stars before peacefully drifting off to sleep, exchanging stories and witticism in between.

All she could think was how easy it was.

How natural the flow of conversation was.

And how perfect they fit together.

But the reality was that she was marrying Jesse.

Because no matter how perfect the other night had been, Chloe knew Beca may just always be too far to reach. She was like the stars they admired the other night, burning slowly and resiliently shining despite the bright lights of the city not so far away chasing them into the dark.

A part of Chloe thinks she was making the right decision.

But if it was so right, then why did it feel so wrong?

Why did it feel like something was missing?

Was it because despite getting married in a matter of days, she knew deep down that she would be marrying the wrong person?

And it didn’t matter if it was Jesse, or an ex-boyfriend like Tom that was standing at the end of the aisle, waiting for her.

It didn’t matter because it wasn’t Beca.

The girl she has been looking for all her life.

The one she promised to marry in the innocence of their youth.

And, for some sort of reason, the one she never stopped loving.

Chloe felt herself being ushered outside of the vehicle they were on and inside a bar from what she could tell from the loud noise of the music playing inside.

But it wasn’t the usual same old bar music she was hearing.

She was hearing musical masterpiece mixes of who she could only guess to be Beca.

Of course Aubrey would invite the DJ over for the bachelorette, and her best friend would be smart enough to claim that she wanted to “hire” a DJ for the event but couldn’t find one so as luck would have it, her other best friend who happens to be a DJ volunteered.

That was, after all, the explanation Aubrey gave as to how she got Beca to be the DJ for Chloe’s wedding.

But Chloe couldn’t help but noticing that the song Beca was currently playing was a little sad for the occasion. Sad but fitting to what the DJ was probably feeling at the moment.

The world is turning  
And time keeps on lingering on  
The sun will be burning  
Eventually you will be gone  
I'll always love you  
Oh, believe it or not  
Baby, that's not enough to, not enough to  
Stop these Falling stars over your head  
We were bound to burn out, burn like crashing cars  
I'll never get over you, never over you  
'Cause you are so beautiful, yeah

“Mitchell, what on earth are you playing?” she heard Aubrey hiss somewhere on Chloe’s right side.

“Sorry, you guys were taking too long and Ems here wanted me to tweak this song a bit.” Beca replied in a hushed tone.

“Yeah, totally my fault. I’m supposed to collaborate with the artist on some sort of love song for his upcoming album and I wanted to convince him to let Beca produce the track.” she heard the young artist say.

So apparently even Emily Junk was in attendance for her bachelorette party.

When Stacie finally removed the blindfold Chloe saw that they were in some fancy bar, Aubrey seemed to have rented the whole place for the night with the lack of any other guests other than the Bellas, Emily, Beca’s assistant Flo, and the tiny DJ herself.

Chloe’s mood did improve upon seeing all her beloved Bellas gathered together after being away for so long. Granted she was already happy to know that Amy was out of the convent, happily with Bumper, and was in attendance to their gathering. 

“And Denise! It’s been too long! Guys, look, Denise is here! How did you guys find Denise? Why haven’t we seen you in ages? You sort of just dropped off the face of the earth.” Chloe said, pulling the former Bellas in a hug, clearly elated to see her Bella family together. The one that was actually a family that pulled each other together to win their first National title.

“Chloe, I’ve always been around. I’ve been working in Aubrey’s firm this whole time.” Denise replied.

She was also pleasantly surprised to see that Jessica and Ashley were getting along splendidly well. The other blonde Bella never mentioned anything to her about patching things up with Ashley, but she was happy to see them together and rather inseparable. Even Lilly was there, totally not stuck in some covert mission somewhere. She also got to see Cynthia Rose and, surprise, her girlfriend. Apparently they were childhood friends and they met when they were younger but CR had always been afraid to follow her heart. 

“Really, it’s all thanks to DJ shorty over there.” Cynthia Rose said pointing over to Beca who was busy setting up her make-shift DJ station with Flo.

Chloe looked a little confused for a moment.

How could Beca be behind all this?

“Yeah, Aubrey here tried rallying us up, but the real reason we’re all here right now is Beca.” Ashley said.

“She was with Aubrey when she tried to sort us straight. Basically Bree failed, but Beca really got to us.” Jessica seconded.

“True, she even helped both Alfonso and I to be get things together and be true to who are.” Cynthia Rose then said.

“And didn’t I tell you that she broke me and Bumper out of both the convent and seminary?” Amy added.

Chloe looked speechless as she turned around to find the DJ getting ready with her set, stealing a glance at her. Trademark smirk and all. She was overwhelmed. Greatly. And she couldn’t help but smile back at Beca.

For all that she’s done.

For bringing her friends together, helping them find happiness by following their heart.

How could the DJ effortlessly do all this?

Especially when all that Jesse manage to do was try and pull the Bellas apart.

The night was spent dancing, drinking, and catching up on missed time. She was pretty certain that the Bellas had started calling Emily “Legacy” at some point after they found out that her mom was a former Bella and that she was attending Barden part-time, what with all the travelling with her work, convincing the younger girl to join the Bellas once and if she decided to take a break from her busy life and pursue college full-time. 

And as expected whenever the Bellas got even slightly inebriated, shenanigans ensued.

Mostly involving Beca.

Trying to get her all flustered.

It started with a seemingly innocent game of ‘Truth or Dare’ when Aubrey, of all people, decided to play a trick on the DJ who was still busy working her booth.

The game was then changed to who can ‘flirt/seduce’ the DJ the best with dares that included simple winking to short trips to the booth to try to get an increasingly confused Beca to ‘grab a quick drink and then some’ to quite possibly a strip-tease.

Emily felt awkward with the whole game but was still somehow coerced to it by both Aubrey and Stacie. She barely put in an effort though. She was the one who was dared to do the flirty wink.

At one point Amy dared Chloe to do a lap dance for the DJ.

To which Chloe was sure her face decided to adopt a color redder than her hair. “I’m the bride-to-be, why am I doing the lap dance?” Chloe reasoned.

“That’s right, hey Beca! Come and do a lap dance for Chloe!” Aubrey shouted.

Beca stared at Aubrey completely being thrown off guard for a minute, her jaw dropping the floor with shock.

Aubrey Posen demanding Beca Mitchell to do a lap dance for Chloe Beale was never on the list of things Beca would ever dream of happening in reality after all.

But Chloe didn’t know that.

Not that she noticed Beca’s full reaction, being shocked herself with what Aubrey just said. And definitely not that the thought wasn’t entirely enticing to her.

But that’s not the point.

Thankfully Beca seemed to have recovered from what Aubrey suggested and simply addressed Stacie. “Yo, Conrad, your wife seems drunk. Maybe you should attend to here.”

“Is that you suggesting that I do a lap dance for Bree?” Stacie shot back with a grin.

“Hey, I’m not complaining, my wife is hot.” Aubrey then remarked.

“Ok, I was wrong. You’re both drunk.” Beca commented.

When Beca returned her attention to whatever she was doing, that’s when Chloe noticed.

She was subtly keeping her distance.

And the thought brought back the coldness she had been feeling since choosing to keep the wedding on track.

When she refused to let Beca know the truth.

And for the first time Chloe understood what it was she was feeling. It wasn’t that she was betraying Beca’s love for her, or that she was betraying Jesse.

She was betraying her own feelings.

And that was the worst feeling above anything else she’s ever felt.

So she chose to let the upbeat songs that Beca was playing and the alcohol to numb down the feeling as the thoughts of whether or not she should risk it all with Beca or stay with what she knows with Jesse.

They switched the game to something else when Amy volunteered Lilly to do the strip-tease and Chloe just wouldn’t allow it.

At some point, the Bellas had reached the point of no return.

Mischief-wise.

And they pulled Beca to play some strange version of ‘seven minutes in heaven’ by spinning some empty bottle and going to the restroom with whoever the bottle lands on to spend the time ‘talking’ about some private thing about themselves to get to know better and ‘foster closer relationships’.

Really the game was masterminded by both Stacie and Aubrey to get Beca and Chloe into the restroom.

And lock them inside in a vain attempt to get them to just come clean and get together.

Chloe stood awkwardly as she leaned on the stalls, chancing a glance at Beca who was sitting on the bathroom counter fiddling with some strange looking dark metallic bracelet on her wrists. The redhead could swear there was even some blinking green light at one end of it but then again she could have been imagining it. She was incredibly drunk at that point. Chloe was sure of it. Mostly because she was all too painfully aware that the urge of just grabbing Beca and kissing her had been increasing exponentially for the last hour.

“Wanna get out of here?” Beca finally said in hushed tones after five minutes of stealing glances at each other in silence.

“I’m pretty sure that Amy’s guarding the door.”

“I’m also pretty sure that they’ve barred the door with whatever they could get their hands on to lock us in and never let us out.”

“I’m not gonna lie, that sounds like something they might actually do. How are we getting out of here then? Window?”

Beca chuckled. “Beale, you’ve read my mind. Do you want to go first or should I so I can help you get out safely?”

“My, aren’t you chivalrous.” Chloe commented as she gestured for Beca to go ahead.

The two of them somehow managed to get out of the window and round the block before Beca waived down for a cab. She opened the door for Chloe to get in first and as soon as she hopped on herself, the DJ asked “Where to?”

“I just want a quiet night in Becs. I’m completely down for the count.” Chloe answered honestly. Truthfully, if it wasn’t for Beca helping her to maneuver herself out of the window she would’ve fallen flat on her face during their daring escape. “Or maybe a private party to ourselves.” Chloe added beaming at Beca before giving the address to the DJ’s residence building.

“How can you still be up?” Chloe asked with a matching pout a few more drinks after they got to Beca’s apartment. Chloe dropped down the couch with a content sigh. The music was blaring up, the two of them messing around, dancing like fools.

Dancing like they were kids setting themselves free.

“I didn’t drink as much as you did.” Beca pointedly said as she offered her hand to Chloe to help her get up, which Chloe gleefully accepted. “Come on, I should probably take you home.” she heard Beca say.

And Chloe shook her head.

At that point she really couldn’t remember why.

She just didn’t want to say goodbye.

So Chloe ran. “You have to catch me first.” she yelled back at Beca as she sprinted through the halls of the penthouse, finally stumbling into what seemed to be Beca’s bedroom.

“You know Beale, you’re the first girl I had here in this room who managed to find herself on my bed.” Beca commented after finally catching up to Chloe only to find her happily plumped down on her bed.

Chloe was quick to her feet a little wobbly and woozy. “You certainly have a way words, don’t you Mitchell.” she then said a little too seductively than planned.

Not the she planned it really.

It was like she was at that point where she knew she was drunk enough to lose all control.

To be stripped away of her inhibitions.

And just go after what she wants.

To her surprise Beca stopped with the witty banters, the DJ’s eyes flickering down to her lips as Chloe slowly closed the distance between them.

It was like being pulled by an incredibly strong magnet.

Resistance was definitely futile.

Because before Chloe could even catch up to what she was doing, her body reacted, brushing a loose strand of Beca’s hair and tucking it behind her ears, their eyes searching each other for something, a signal or some confirmation. And before she knew it, Chloe had leaned down and captured the DJ’s lips for her own, feeling her soft lips moving against hers.

Entirely getting lost in the moment.

Because nothing ever felt as right as kissing Beca, feeling her heart melt as they both poured everything they felt into that kiss.

And it felt like it would have lasted forever.

The kiss deepening, getting more and more passionate, hungry.

Except Beca pulled away. 

“Chloe.” she said, her voice pleading for her to listen to reason.

“What?” Chloe retorted, feeling both confused and frustrated. “Beca I… I want you, all of you. You’re like a need I didn’t even know I had. All I know is I never stopped looking for you, chasing after an image of a girl who strolled into my life one summer’s day and then just left, taking a huge piece of me away. Beca, I never stopped…”

“…but not like this Chloe. You deserve better.”

“I deserve better?” Chloe scoffed.

Totally not the line she was expecting to hear at the very least.

“Yeah. Don’t you get it? You’re more than just a kiss. Or a one night stand. You deserve a lifetime. And, God it’s frustrating, but as much as I want it to be me, I’m not the one who’s going to be standing at the end of the aisle, now am I?” Beca replied before adding in a very hushed tone “Or am I?”

Chloe couldn’t understand why but she broke down in tears after that, after hearing Beca say what she said.

Because it sure meant a lot. Chloe could tell from the way Beca said it, almost mumbled really.

One simple sentence. One simple line.

Chloe deserved to be loved.

Not just as some secret rendezvous, not just a prize to be won. No, not just a one memorable night together, or some simple kiss.

Not like how everyone she’s ever had a relationship ever treated her or made her feel.

And that made her sure. 

Beca loved her.

Truly loved her.

Especially as she cradled her in her arms, tucked her in as she finally drifted off to sleep.

Chloe woke up a few hours later, even before daybreak.

And she watched as Beca’s chest rose up and down while she slept in peace right next to Chloe.

A pillow between them despite the fact that Beca’s arms were wrapped around Chloe’s body.

Because for some reason Beca felt the need to be chivalrous and respectful to her.

Chloe couldn’t help but chuckle.

Her worries about whether or not it was worth to risk it all with Beca being washed away by the DJ’s very own actions.

Chloe shifted around in bed and tried to wiggle herself free to get up for a glass of water. And that’s when she saw it. The picture in the frame, the words scribbled behind, the red thread that was their ring.

If anything that only strengthened her resolved.

It was always Beca.

Only, she wasn’t with Beca.

She was with Jesse.

And like a painful reminder that she was actually engaged to someone else, that she promised her heart to someone else, her phone rang. It took a while before Chloe found it. Truth be told she didn’t hear until she stepped outside the bedroom to get that glass of water she wanted.

“Chlooooeeee.” she heard Jesse drunkenly say. “You’re here. I mean, you know. Answered. Aaaanyways, I love you Chlo. Sooo much. This much. You can’t see, but I’m stretching my arms wide right now. So lucky, I mean, I am, that you’re gonna be my wifey soon. You deserve so so much more, so I promise that I will be so so much more, is what I promise. Gots to go babe. Love yah.”

Okay, so that wasn’t exactly the most eloquent speech.

And Jesse called twenty times before too.

Leaving messages similar to what he said when Chloe finally answered.

How he promises to be better.

To change.

Things that technically he said over and over again at some point in the past few years they’ve been together.

Not that he was a bad boyfriend.

Just that he could be quite possessive. And self-centered. A little full of himself too.

Still it was enough to make Chloe question everything once again. Feeling the guilt of what Jesse might feel. Because Chloe is a good person deep down inside, whether or not she’s tempted or anything, more than the times she might make mistakes. And who doesn’t make mistakes?

Question is, which would be the mistake? Which is the right thing to do?

Will she really give up all those years spent with Jesse?

Could she really do that? Hurt him?

Because that’s what she’ll end up doing.

And compared to all her relationships in the past, Jesse was the best.

But then again there’s Beca.

Beca who she’s never stopped loving.

For some strange reason other than that she simply loved her. 

Truly loved her.

Then again there’s the wedding and the time and money and effort and energy spent for it.

And once more it’s too much to just process. Because things aren’t as simple as they were when they were little kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Beca sings is called 'Falling Stars' by David Archuleta


	21. The Rehearsal Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aka the one where Jerk-Face Jesse gets what he deserves…

Beca sighed.

Her time was rapidly running out.

Last night…

…last night was the most amazing night she’s ever had.

Because she felt Chloe kissed her.

She felt Chloe loved her too.

And for once, she thought she was going to be successful in fighting for the redhead’s heart.

Only when she woke up she was gone.

Chloe left.

Taking her heart away with her too.

Beca noticed the frame with her most treasured picture was gone only for her to find it again on the kitchen counter. It didn’t take time for the DJ to figure out that Chloe saw it.  
So why did she run?

Why did she leave?

Beca tried to call her twice, but when Chloe didn’t answer, she’s figured she made her decision.

She lost.

So Beca did what she knew she had to. Find the strength to fake the smile and do her job properly.

And hope against all hope that she finds her way back home, win her Chloe’s heart.

Maybe that’s why she found herself taking that red thread taped behind the frame and tying it on her ring finger where it once was.

For luck.

Although the pain in her heart from the noticeable presence of the redhead’s absence, from her decision, was pretty much drowning all of her.

Beca found herself at the private space on the second floor of the restaurant where the rehearsal dinner was going to be. She had Flo and Jamie helping her set-up. The three of them bursting into song as it played in the background.

We were just little kids, we were ambiguous  
My crush was serious, it's crazy how  
As we were growing up, I could just hit you up  
But it just wasn't love, I guess the stars  
Never aligned for us, life just snuck up on us  
You got a boyfriend and stuff, feelings are bottled up  
Hide 'em in this song, took the key and locked it up  
But when I see you again, no, I can't even pretend

Just as the chorus started Beca saw another familiar redhead enter the scene with Aubrey. “Mrs. Beale.” she muttered.

“Oh hello, is this the DJ you hired Aubrey?”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry we got here earlier Beca, we wanted to make sure everything’s set-up before the guests arrived.” Aubrey said.

Beca tried to shift her focus on her job as the guests arrived and Aubrey introduced her to the crowd, saying that it was a little taste of what they were going to expect for the reception the following evening.

It was a tough night. Watching Jesse place her arm around Chloe, kiss her, show her off to his friends.

And Chloe was painfully obvious in her ways of trying to avoid Beca’s gaze.

It was the most potent poison.

The most painful way to die.

Because it was most definitely killing her.

All of life draining away.  
She was playing a different set of music but she could still definitely only hear one song playing in her head.  
Try not to dwell on it, but sometimes I can't help it  
So I paint pictures of it  
Even when I was always on the road, I was always doing shows  
Yeah, my life was never slow, don't you know?  
Your love stayed in the back of my head  
In a house full of a memories is where I lived  
Right when I came home, oh no, there I go  
Saw you again and I can't even pretend

Sometime later that evening both Stacie and Aubrey dropped by her booth to check on Beca. The night was wrapping up fast, big day tomorrow after all. Some of Jesse’s friends were still with the former Treble in one table, the Bellas were still with Chloe in another, and of course the parents of the lovely bride and the fitting groom.

Beca left Flo and Jamie to get all her things packed, walking out to the patio of the second floor leaning onto the railings. It was the first time that evening where she found herself to be alone after all. It was just her and her thoughts.

Only she wasn’t.

Not alone at all.

Beca looked up as she hear the sound of the creaky old door leading out to the patio to see a rather nervous looking Chloe jolting up just as soon as she leaned on the door.

The two of them simply stood there in silence not exactly knowing what to say.

But somehow Beca found the courage to say something. “You kissed me.”

“Beca…” Chloe started to say. But Beca stopped her.

Because it was just so unfair.

How she could look incredibly stunning, and beautiful, like an angel, and yet there she was breaking her heart into the tiniest bits and pieces.

With just one mention of her name, with her voice shaking so sad and broken, pleading with her to understand.

“No, you actually wanted more. And I stopped you, and I’m sorry if I think that it meant something, the whole moment last night meant something, but Chloe…”

“But what Beca? I’m never going to be enough. I’m not a part of the world you’re living in and… I can’t. I can’t just hurt Jesse.”

Beca was about to give her reply when Mrs. Beale found the two of them outside, “Oh there you are dear.” If she were being honest, Beca wasn’t sure if she Chloe’s mom was talking to Chloe or her she was pertaining to.

And apparently, it was Beca.

“I have been thinking about it for the whole night, because I know I’ve heard your name before. ‘Beca Mitchell’ then it hit me! You were that adorable little girl we met at the park ages ago!” she beamed like a proud detective solving the case. Beca nodded sullenly while Chloe shifted uncomfortably from where she stood. “Chloe, who knew we’d find her here right now? You look all grown up. How’s your mom?”

Beca cleared her throat a little, “She died years ago.” she replied weakly. That much she knew.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear.” Mrs. Beale said before looking at Chloe as she was just about to say something about how it was so adorable that the two girls promised to marry each other when they were little.

Because of course both their moms found out about the silly little promise.

But just as Mrs. Beale opened her mouth, she soon regretted it. The words flew right out before it hit her. It was quite painfully obvious that there was something going on with Chloe, and it took her all this time to realize why. “Oh, oh dear.” she mumbled.

“I think we’re about ready to go. It was lovely seeing you again Mrs. Beale.” Beca said before things could get even more uncomfortable between all of them.

Mostly because the brave face she was putting up the whole night was slowly crumbling way.

“Hey Mitchell, where are you going? The night’s still young. Come here, I’d like you to meet some of my buddies.” Jesse called out pulling Beca back to the center of the room.

Literally.

And Jesse rambled on and on about his work scoring for movies and talking to Beca about how maybe she’d like to help him out on a project. 

With the occasional jokes about the ladies and how much Beca could ‘score’ while Jesse was scoring his own. His voice laced with heavy poison.

As if he heard something he shouldn’t have.

Still, the pun didn’t go unnoticed as the DJ gritted her teeth, her fists constantly clenching and unclenching, her blood reaching its boiling point.

Because the world truly was unfair if this Jesse gets to marry any version of Chloe.

“Would you quit it Swanson and let Beca go, she’s busy and she’s got a lot of work to do.” Aubrey huffed as she immediately walked towards Beca, this world’s Beca or not the blonde had already seen the DJ lose her temper before and she could sense that Beca was about to lose it.

“Oh come on Posen, I was just being friendly with the DJ here.” Jesse reasoned.

“What’s going on?” Chloe asked as she and her mom re-entered the room. Jesse quickly pulled ‘his girl’ – or so he claimed – to his side.

“Nothing babe, just telling Beca here that if she helps me with the movie I’m scoring, then maybe she could score some of her own.”

“And I was just telling Swanson here to let Beca go home. She’s tired and she’s got to get ready for tomorrow, you know, your wedding.”

“What’s the harm here Posen? You know what, I think you’re just really pissed because you set DJ ‘dawg’ here after my girl and failed, I mean come on? That’s why you kept trying to set up meetings with them right?”

“You’re a pig, you know that Swanson?” Aubrey spewed out.

“I’m just telling the truth here. So Beca, how’d it go? Did you succeed in seducing my girl or did you at least come close? Come on I wouldn’t mind…”

“Jesse…” Chloe warned.

“Oh, come on babe, with the way you gushed about Mitchell, I’d totally understand, as long as you know who you-“

Thankfully Jesse didn’t get to finish that sentence.

Beca felt cold, anger surprisingly felt cold.

And numb.

That’s why she didn’t instantly feel the sting from her closed fist as she successfully punched Jesse in the face, sending the former Treble tumbling and crashing down the nearby chairs, his nose broken and bleeding.

“The hell was that for short stuff!?”

“She deserves better than you, you ass.” Beca seethed.

“Oh yeah, and who does she deserve, a silly little girl like you! Let her go Mitchell, she’s not yours, she’s mine. And yeah, I heard, do you honestly think that stupid little promise you made when you were little is going to hold? I win.”

If this world’s Beca was the one in her own body right now, she would have beaten the said groom into a bloody pulp.

Instead she took a deep breath, eyes locked on Jesse – she couldn’t dare look at Chloe at the moment – and steadied herself. 

“I love her Swanson. I love her enough to know she’s not mine nor yours. I love her enough to know that she deserves better than you… and maybe better than me too...”

“Oh what do you know about love Mitchell?”

“And what do you? She’s not your trophy Swanson. She deserves to be loved, because God knows, I have no idea why she’s even with you.” Beca seethed as she stormed out of the room.

The Bellas and some of Jesse’s buddies stood there in shock as the whole scene played out.

Flo and Jamie not entirely sure what to do.

Both Aubrey and Stacie wanted to follow Beca out, in the end Aubrey chose to stay while her wife chased after the DJ.

That was not how the plan was supposed to go.

But perhaps it wasn’t too late.

Because even though Beca left as soon as she did, the world didn’t stop.

People didn’t freeze.

The world kept turning.

And Chloe made her decision.

She made it loud and clear as soon as she slipped of her engagement ring and threw it at Jesse’s face, her anger clear as day as she walked out, Aubrey close behind.

Because Beca didn’t know that Chloe cried as soon as she stepped back in, leaving her alone with her own mother.

She was too busy being harassed by Jesse by then.

And Beca doesn’t know that Mrs. Beale, the wise woman that she was, could see the hurt and longing in her daughter’s eyes. So she reminded her one thing. 

“Forget about the world and what they think, they’re not living your life dear. I can see, you love her, I can see that she loves you too. I don’t know how long you’ve found her, but I do know that all your life you’ve loved her and chased after her, even when you pretend that that’s not the case. So just follow your heart. Whatever you choose to do, your dad and I will be right behind you. Because if you don’t, oh Chloe if you don’t, you’ll only suffer, you’ll cease to live, and that is the most tragic thing you can ever do.”

And Beca couldn’t have possibly known…

…that that was exactly what Chloe decided to do, with only the red thread ring left on her finger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Part of “Art of Letting You Go” by Tori Kelly is featured in this chapter. The last parts would be in the next one.
> 
> Also, he SO had it coming…


	22. Desperate Measures: All or Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca leaves the scene of the rehearsal dinner, all but ready to accept her loss while Stacie is in hot pursuit.
> 
> But where Stacie fails to talk sense into the DJ, will Chloe be successful?
> 
> And with the meteor shower happening, will Beca finally return to her world? What happens to the Beca of the parallel universe? Or will Chloe be too late and the two worlds end up converging?

She walked away.

Again.

But she walked away this time not because she wanted to run, but because she wanted Chloe to choose her happiness herself.

And if she chooses Jesse, then that was up to her.

So that’s how Stacie found her by the beach strip where she took Chloe that other night.

She heard Stacie park her car near hers just as she was about to walk down the beach from the parking. Beca tried to gain some distance as fast as she could before Stacie could even get out of her car but the ever so brilliant Dr. Conrad was quick to try and reason with her. “Beca, it’s not right to give up. Sometimes you just have to keep fighting, no matter what the other person says or does, if you feel it in your heart that it’s true, that it’s everything, then you have to fight.” Stacie yelled out.

But Beca didn’t budge. She wanted to turn around and respond but she couldn’t find the words to say anything.

Her heart was still breaking.

So she kept her eyes on the waves rolling in and out ahead and kept walking towards it, rolling up the cuffs of her jeans even higher and taking her sneakers off – because yeah, she’s too alternative to dress up formally for a rehearsal dinner, especially if it’s for the wedding of the girl she loved to someone else, she didn’t want to celebrate her heartbreak after all.

Beca smiled sadly as she felt the soft wet sand between her toes, and the cool water of the waves hitting the shores. Stacie still far off. The silence that accompanied suggested that the brilliant scientist decided to let her go.

And Beca was thankful for that.

She wanted time to think.

So once again she found solace in her own company, wiping her eyes dry of the tears threatening to fall.

Maybe that’s why she started singing again. To stop herself from crying and lose herself in the music.

All of me, I give you everything  
If you could only see how much you mean to me  
I know you'll always be the one that stays with me, haunting me  
And maybe I'll never know just how to let you go  
It's always you I go back to, I know it's danger  
It's always you my heart runs to, but I'm a stranger  
Baby, what happened? What am I to do?  
Wanna move on, but I'm scared of losing you  
I can't seem to master the art of letting you go  
No, I can't seem to master the art of letting you go

“Then don’t let me go.” she eventually heard a familiar voice say sounding a little out of breath.

Like she chased after her.

And Beca swore her heart stopped at that moment.

Because it was the one and only voice she could never get tired of listening to.

And the implications of Chloe talking to her at the beach at that moment…

…could only mean one thing.

“Stacie’s right you know, especially if who you’re fighting for a big idiot.” Chloe then added.

Those words got Beca’s attention, waking her form her daydream.

And there she was, standing so gloriously behind her, Aubrey and Stacie hanging back faraway at the lot.

So, Beca figured, that’s why Stacie didn’t pursue her, badgering on with her motivational speeches.

Beca could feel her throat dry up, she wasn’t expecting Chloe to follow her.

Let alone choose her after the whole scenario she left behind. 

“Chloe…” Beca started to say, all dazed and buzzing with the greatest feeling of happiness when the realization that Chloe chose her finally fully hit her. They both stayed silent for a while just getting lost in each other’s eyes before they both smiled meekly.

“I’m sorry.” they chorused.

And they both laughed a little.

“It’s you Beca. It was always you.” Chloe said almost in a whisper.

“Then why did you leave?” Beca asked softly.

“I don’t know, Jesse called, and I… We have history and I didn’t want to hurt him. Even when that’s what he deserved. I know it doesn’t make sense…”

“No it does. The history part. It does.” Beca answered only too truthfully.

“Beca?”

“Chloe?”

“Where do we even start?”

“How about we don’t? We’ve already started a long time ago, so why don’t we just move forward together?”

“That sound good to me.” Chloe replied slowly inching closer to Beca.

Their lips met, crashing together like a need. Because Beca was all that Chloe needed, and it was the same for Chloe.

They didn’t even notice the meteor shower.

Chloe pulled away only to press her forehead on Beca’s, make sure it wasn’t a dream. 

And Beca smiled back content.

It was the perfect memory.

The perfect moment.

So Chloe wasn’t sure what to do when Beca all of a sudden blacked out, the beeping sound from the black bracelet she was wearing driving her insane.

Stacie and Aubrey quickly rushed over to see what was going on.

“Bree, what – ”

“It’s going to be okay Chlo.” Aubrey comforted her.

“I need to take her to my lab, Bree, can you take Chloe home, or maybe Beca’s place. I just need to make sure she’s okay and get some things.”

“What’s going on Stace?” Aubrey asked her wife.

“I’m not sure, but I think…” Stacie trailed off as she nodded towards the bracelet she gave Beca before the bachelorette party the other night.

Her tiny little device that can monitor Beca’s vitals and brain activity and that was wirelessly connected to her special instrument back at her lab.

Beca woke up a little woozy a few hours later.

She was laying in her living room couch. Stacie tapping away on her own laptop as she was recording some measurements on some portable box connected to a few electrodes that ended up being connected to the side of Beca’s temple and her chest.

“What are you doing to me Conrad?” Beca grunted.

“You’re awake.” Stacie remarked.

“Yes. What happened?” Beca asked as she sat up but before Stacie could answer the redheaded beauty that was Chloe Beale had flung herself at Beca and wrapping her in her arms.

The surprise was clear on Beca’s face as Chloe pulled away from the hug only to plant a few dozen kisses on Beca’s face. “You’ve got me so worried Becs.”

“It’s you.” Beca said softly, almost near tears, pure joy on her face as she reciprocated Chloe’s hug with her own. She kissed Chloe’s cheek whispering “My redheaded angel come to save me?”

“You haven’t called me that in ages.”

“I missed you.”

“Uh Chlo, how about we let Stacie make sure Beca’s okay for a moment and grab something to eat at that twenty four hour diner nearby. I don’t think Beca still had the chance to eat.”

“Sure.” Chloe replied, sneaking in another quick kiss before leaving with Aubrey.

“You’re our Beca, right?” Stacie asked cautiously once the coast was clear and Beca nodded.

“I know a few of the things that was happening Stace. But a few are foggy.” Beca replied slowly. “So what happened to her? You know, other me.”

“We stopped by at the lab, I wanted to make sure you were okay so I ran some of your vitals there and kept monitoring your health here. You’re okay. I think she’s okay, her world’s moving again.”

“Can you do something for me?”

“Anything.”

“Can you find a way to thank her for me?”

“Thank her for what?” Stacie asked, trying to be coy to get to find out how the other Beca personally influence the one right in front of her.

“Like I said, she didn’t get to see all my memories, I didn’t get to see hers too. But she manage to see the ones with Chloe, important ones, and she shared with me what knowing Chloe was like when I needed her the most. And I think that made all the difference. I’m not afraid anymore. I was so afraid before of never getting the chance to see my redheaded angel again, and if I did, I was so afraid I didn’t deserve her anymore, that I’ll fail her in the end. She made me see I was being stupid.”

Stacie nodded and accepted it as the answer she was looking for. “I think we can do that. So, about Chloe, you sure you’re good with continuing the fight?”

“Never gonna let her slip away Stace.” Beca said with a smirk.

She was back to her old self but she knew for sure, she wasn’t going to let the work the other Beca had put into ‘fixing’ the irregularities of this world go to waste.

She was never going to let Chloe slip away.


	23. To Be Back Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca wakes up back in her own world! With all that she’s learned and lived through in the alternate reality she’s been to, will Beca be successful with gathering the Bellas and win the heart of the girl she’s loved for as long as she could possibly remember?

Beca jolted up awake and gasped, the meteor shower still going on above her.

No redhead kissing her.

No beeping black bracelet.

It took a few seconds before she realized what had happened.

She was back.

Back to her own world.

And the old Beca would have taken a few minutes to recompose herself but no, not this Beca. As soon as she realized she was back to where she should be the DJ quickly scrambled onto her feet, having no time to waste.

After all, she wasted too much time already.

She felt for her phone and turned it on. She chose to ignore the hundred messages instantly popping up and dozens of missed calls and voicemails from Chloe.

Also ignored the barrage of messages from the Bellas who Chloe probably contacted when she upped and left her suddenly.

And Aubrey’s increasingly threatening messages…

The redhead was probably worried for her.

And that put a smile on Beca’s face, because the thought of her redheaded wonder worrying for her was enough to let her know, she probably loved her too.

It was time she let Chloe know she felt the same way.

She immediately called Amy through Skype and then Emily. Amy was still stuck in Australia and Emily was still at Barden but that didn’t mean they can’t help her with the plan brewing in her head – a plan that she had had the time to come up with during her alone times in the parallel universe she was just sent to – to which the two excitedly agreed to.  
If anything Amy was quick to volunteer her services, that is after she quite possibly stared at Beca – who was then riding at the backseat of the cab she hailed as she realized she left her car keys back at the apartment and seeing Chloe when she was still unprepared was not an option – for at least a good whole minute or two.

Emily was just an excited child who Beca couldn’t understand for the most part but who Beca knew immediately agreed to do her part.

What is it with the Bellas and planning crazy things? Beca doesn’t really know other than that’s just simply how their world worked.

Her first stop was at Jesse’s. Because there was one important thing that she felt like she needed to do. The former Treble stared at her in confusion as he opened the door to his apartment with Beca instantly jumping up to hug him saying “Thank you.” a million times over.

“For what Beca? And hey, Chloe’s flipping out saying she can’t find you. What’s going on?”

“Incredibly long story Jess.” Beca started. “But thank you, for not being a self-serving pompous ass, for the most part, for letting me go when you realized my heart wasn’t in it, and for pointing me to the right direction of my happiness.”

“Oookay. Slow down, what’s this about?”

“I’m telling Chloe.”

“Whoa, Beca Mitchell! Is this you realizing you’re in love with your best friend?” Jesse asked all surprised and happy for the tiny brunette he once upon a time called his girl. After all, this world’s Jesse understood only quite well that he wasn’t the main man for the main girl… he was just the best friend character.

“Oh for the love of – do all of you have to give me that look? Yes, I’m in love Chloe. Yes, I was stupid to try and ignore it. And yes, I’m telling her that no.” 

“Beca that’s great! I’m happy for you! I’m sure Red would be ecstatic.”

“Well, hoping I’m not too late. Anyways, I’ve got to go rally the cavalry. But seriously Jess, thanks. Oh, and don’t tell Chloe. It’s a surprise.”

A few minutes later, and a few blocks away, Beca found herself outside of Aubrey’s LA apartment.

Stacie’s was closer, but she didn’t bother stopping there considering that if she’s learned anything from her strange travels, it’s that those two also always seem to end up together, and since Aubrey’s place would have had the better view of the meteor shower, Aubrey’s place it is.

And luckily Beca was right. She instantly spotted Stacie’s car parked outside the building before she made her way inside and found herself knocking on Aubrey’s door.

“Beca! Where on earth have you – ” Aubrey started to say but Beca raised a hand to cut her off as she entered her flat.

“You can come out of the bedroom too Stacie, I know you’re in there.” Beca shouted as she sat down Aubrey’s couch.

“What on earth are you talking about Mitchell?” Aubrey said indignantly.

“Oh please, Posen.” Beca scoffed. “Stacie come on out! And be descent! I already asked Amy to send word out for all the other Bellas to be here, and last I check, Jessica and Ashley are already on their way from San Diego. Amy and Emily are on their mission. Lilly just responded saying she’ll be here in ten minutes, and Cynthia Rose only lives a few blocks away so she’ll be here soon too. I tried looking for Denise but I don’t have her contacts.”

“Who?”

“Denise, she was a part of the Bellas your senior year.” Beca explained. “Stacie come out here now! I need your help. All of you.”

The pleading sound in Beca’s voice managed to convince Stacie as she finally stepped out of the bedroom, hair all messy, smiling weakly and nervously at Beca as she made her way into the living room.

“How’d you know?” Stacie asked amazed.

“Let’s call it sixth sense for now.” Beca replied with a smirk.

“That’s beside the point Mitchell. Chloe’s been calling and texting me all day getting all frantic that you just disappeared – ”

“Chloe’s getting married to stupid Kyle.”

“What? Who’s Kyle?” Aubrey asked looking at her all confused.

“Stupid Kyle, the guy she met backpacking through Europe.” Beca edified.

“But I thought that wasn’t a real thing, just some sort of a fling.” Aubrey argued.

“Yeah, tell me about it, but stupid Kyle proposed.”

“So what’s the problem here? We don’t like stupid Kyle?” Stacie asked.

“No.” Aubrey and Beca chorused.

“So you want us to get Chloe to realize not to marry stupid Kyle?” Aubrey asked already starting to come up with ideas in her head while pacing around.

“No.” Beca muttered and for a moment Aubrey gave her a look as if she was crazy. A look shared by an equally confused Stacie. “I want you to help me tell Chloe that I love her and that she shouldn’t marry stupid Kyle to be with me instead.”

Aubrey and Stacie both stared at her, mouths agape as they processed the information Beca just let slip, only closing it just as they heard a buzz. “What? Is it so hard to believe that I can actually realize my feelings and come to terms with them? Geez, did you all seriously think you needed the ‘lock ‘em up in a closet until they confess their feelings to each other’ plan?” Beca scoffed as she got up and buzzed in the Bellas one by one, all arriving within minutes of each other, and with Lilly surprisingly able to drag Denise from wherever and whatever it is that she’s been doing since she left Barden, all while Aubrey and Stacie tried to recover from the initial shock.

“What’s gotten you both looking so shocked?” Cynthia Rose commented as she sat next to Stacie.

“Oh, I found out they’ve been secretly dating for a while now.” Beca easily let slip while setting her phone up to call Amy on Skype and find a place where she could properly place it and hold it up. The Bellas all turned to Stacie and Aubrey for a while giving them knowing looks.

Ashley eventually offered to hold Beca’s phone up for her so that they could see Amy properly.

“Legacy’s currently keeping Red busy cap!” was the initial greeting they all heard as soon as the call connected.

“Okay, take two.” Beca muttered to herself and explained to the Bellas what was going on.

They all sat there in stunned silence.

That just from the phrase “I’m in love with Chloe.”

Thankfully she decided to leave out the alternate universe story out.

“So we have Staubrey confirmed today too other than Bloe.” Amy commented, she already knew about Beca’s feelings so it was easier to recover from the shock upon hearing it again.

“Bechloe! Amy, stop getting that ship name to work.” Stacie replied.

“Guys, focus here!” Beca commanded before they get completely side-tracked on something as trivial as a ‘ship name’.

Although she might bring it up for discussion for later with Chloe.

If she succeeds.

“Well, Mitchell, while you’re getting us all to rally for your cause – which by the way, congrats on finally having the guts to realize all this without drastic measures – but what about Chloe? She’s still worried sick.” Aubrey then said.

“Ems is on top of that, distracting Chloe and hopefully ruining her moments with stupid Kyle.”

“So we’re all agreeing that the guy’s name is ‘stupid Kyle’?” Jessica interrupted and all of the Bellas agreed in chorus.

“So what do you have in mind then Beca? “ Stacie the asked.

“Wait, just so you all know, we want to get back to the whole Staubrey thing in a moment. The two of you are so not getting away with this all safe and clean.” Cynthia Rose interrupted as she addressed her former captain and her best friend while all of the Bellas agreed. “Okay, continue DJ shorty.”

And Beca smirked.

The time to woo Chloe has come.


	24. You're All I Wish For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time for Beca to woo her Chloe has come!
> 
> But will everything turn out alright?
> 
> Especially with stupid Kyle ever being an unwanted presence…

\-- _Chloe, the night of the meteor shower—_

Beca left.

She just upped and left midsentence to what she was saying, and Chloe didn’t have the slightest clue as to why.

At first Chloe decided to wait for Beca to return and come to her senses…

…but two hours later, Chloe was worried sick.

Beca still wasn’t home. She sent a good number of text messages and voicemails to her already, also alerting the Bellas that Beca just disappeared on her. She heard the buzz from the entrance, thinking that Beca was back and that she must’ve forgotten her house keys but Chloe wasn’t able to breathe a sigh of relief when she opened the door.

It was just Kyle.

“So, have you told you’re roommate yet? Uh, did you tell her your decision? Not to pressure you or anything.”

“Kyle, what are you doing here?” was all Chloe replied with.

“Chloe.” Kyle said with a soothing voice noting the signs of distress on Chloe’s face.

Kyle was sweet, he was handsome, perfect actually, if knights in shining armors are your type.

But all Chloe could ever think about was Beca.

Even when she was away.

And yeah, she bid her time with Kyle, hoping for a distraction, hoping to finally move on from the brunette.

But what can she do? Beca’s got a tight hold on her heart.

And her best friend didn’t even know.

Chloe soon found herself in an argument she didn’t think she would have with Kyle. Mostly because Kyle wanted to know if she’s told Beca.

Now Chloe didn’t want to string him along, but he was the best thing she could ever have to help her move on from Beca.

It was settling for second place, she knew, but she was hoping that maybe she could learn to love him some day.

The same way she loved Beca.

That’s why when Kyle proposed, he heard her say the most unexpected thing.

“Maybe.”

Chloe asked for time to think about it. But apparently as much as Kyle was trying to be patient, he wanted a sure answer.

And Chloe didn’t know what to say, instead finding herself giving him excuses to delay the answer, stating that Beca was missing, and she needed to find her first.

“So you’re telling me your roommate is more important than us?”

“She’s my best friend! And she just left. I’m worried about her, is it that so hard to understand? She doesn’t just leave you midsentence, at least not me, ‘cause she might actually do that to someone else, and I’m worried that something’s going on with her.”

Kyle sighed, backing down. “You’re right, I’m sorry. How about I help you look for her? Do you know of places she likes to go to, especially when she wants to be alone?”

“Quite a few, actually.”

“Then let’s go.”

Chloe hated the fact that Kyle was actually a nice guy.

Because it felt like she’s just using him to forget Beca.

But Chloe knew she could actually fall for him.

If only her heart didn’t already belong to the DJ.

Their search was fruitless and two hours later Chloe and Kyle made it back to the flat and Chloe found herself stepping outside of the balcony as soon as the meteor shower started, that’s when she spotted the tiny figure of her beloved DJ lying down on the sandy beach strip, watching the thousands of fallen stars illuminate the sky.

And some strange dark cloud briefly appearing above it.

Chloe doesn’t know what it was. If she did, then she would know that the first time the dark cloud appeared, her world literally stopped frozen in time. And the second time was what brought it back to life.

But dark weird clouds aside, she found Beca.

Unfortunately, the moment Chloe finally made it to the beach strip, with Kyle following her like a lost puppy, she huffed and sighed. Her best friend was gone.

She had just missed Beca.

Kyle was saying something about returning to the apartment but Chloe wasn’t paying much attention. It was unfair, she knows, but for some reason she suddenly couldn’t help but blame Kyle for all of this.

It was like a flaring flame from what seemed to be such a time fire decided to take over her unexpectedly.

Because if he didn’t keep injecting himself in the situation, then maybe she would have spotted Beca on the beach earlier and figured out what was going on with her sooner.

If he didn’t propose in the first place and she was able to end things with him amicably, then maybe Chloe wouldn’t have missed the signs of whatever was going through Beca’s head because then she wouldn’t have been distracted by the thought of giving Kyle an answer of ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

If he didn’t pursue her, if they didn’t meet, then maybe she wouldn’t have been looking for Beca like crazy at the moment.

They went around the city again revisiting places they went to earlier when Chloe got a Skype call from Amy asking her advice with Bumper’s skin rash.

First of all, gross.

Second of all, she has no idea why Amy would be pestering her with this at the moment, especially after her all-Bellas distress call about Beca.

And not that it mattered, but the Australian seemed to be shutting her down with something more ridiculous every time she brought up Beca, saying that the former fearless leader of the Bellas must probably be just swamped with work and was stressing about it.

Totally plausible.

But Chloe didn’t buy it for a second.

Halfway through her second round of looking for Beca with Kyle – because he just wouldn’t let her do it alone – Chloe kept getting frantic calls from Emily.

Mostly freaking out about an ‘important’ date with Benji.

And once again, Chloe has no idea why Emily would be pestering her – of all people – about this right in the middle of her missing Beca problem, because if Chloe had to guess who Emily would actually call for date advice the obvious choice would be Stacie.

Unbeknownst to Chloe this was the mission for the two Bellas who kept up badgering her the whole night through with the utmost ridiculous of situations to which they were asking her for advice.

They needed to distract Chloe, at least until Beca gets everything she needed ready.

So distract Chloe they shall.

Even if Chloe ends up yelling at them.

Which thankfully did not happen.

Because angry Chloe equated to scary Chloe.

And everyone was fearful of scary Chloe.

It was a good twenty four hours since Beca left her standing in their own apartment.

Twenty four hours of no sleep.

At least for Chloe.

Kyle was happily snoozing on their couch.

And Chloe was very much tempted to call the police since Beca hasn’t texted are called back when her phone buzzed.

**_Beca <3: _ ** _Beach strip. 15 mins._

With that incredibly helpful non-descript message, Chloe immediately dragged her feet from the armchair she was sitting on and headed for the door. “Kyle, I’m leaving for a while, just make yourself at home if you want.” she said, nudging him awake on her way.

“Huh, no, wait. I’ll come with you. Where are you going?”

“I really don’t need you to come. You can rest here for now.”

“No, no, I insist.”

“Ugh, fine, come on then.”

 

\-- _Beca, the morning after the meteor shower—_

They only had a few hours to prepare.

But thankfully the Bellas were always up for an impromptu practice.

This was, after all, their most important performance to date.

And Beca had a perfect song in mind.

Beca was standing on the beach strip, taking deep steady breaths as she tried to calm herself down. In front of her was the most beautiful sunrise she’s ever seen.

“You’ll do fine hobbit.” Aubrey whispered as she patted her shoulder. “So that’s stupid Kyle?” she then asked, pointing past Chloe to the tall blond man with charming blue eyes following the redhead like a lost puppy.

Of course the lughead had to be there.

But nothing’s stopping Beca now.

Not after all she’s been through.

Beca took a deep breath as Chloe slowly made her way to where they stood in the beach, confused to why the Bellas where all there, Emily and Amy on Skype on different phones.

Beca felt nervous as hell, but she’s waited long enough. So just decided to jump right in, the Bellas ready.          

A dangerous plan, just this time  
A stranger's hand clutched in mine  
I'll take this chance, so call me blind  
I've been waiting all my life  
Please don't scar this young heart  
Just take my hand

Beca started to sing and Chloe looked at her only more confused as she halted just a few feet away from her with Kyle, ever the unwelcomed presence, hovering a mere inches away. The DJ could feel the redhead’s intense gaze on her as she found the strength to look up to her and smile. She felt incredibly vulnerable at the moment, but somehow seeing Chloe gave her the strength she needed.

After all, she was essentially asking her to not break her heart and take care of it.

I was made for loving you  
Even though we may be hopeless hearts just passing through  
Every bone screaming ‘I don't know what we should do’  
All I know is, darling, I was made for loving you

The Bellas started backing her up as she continued with the song. And Chloe still looked at them confused.

But she smiled as it appeared to be dawning on her what the whole thing was about.

And it was the most beautiful smile she’s ever seen Chloe ever had. So Beca continued singing.

Making her the same promise of taking care of her heart and hoping the message was received.

Hold me close through the night  
Don't let me go, we'll be alright  
Touch my soul and hold it tight  
I've been waiting all my life  
I won't scar your young heart  
Just take my hand

Kyle seemed to be getting the picture too as his eyes flickered between Chloe and Beca. The look on Chloe’s face was that of pure joy and elation.

And the look on Beca’s face definitely confirmed all his worst fears.

Her happiness and hope.

And that love-struck sparkle in her eyes.

'Cause I was made for loving you  
Even though we may be hopeless hearts just passing through  
Every bone screaming ‘I don't know what we should do’  
All I know is, darling, I was made for loving you

Beca grinned more than smirked as she was singing the words she would have said while endlessly rambling on.

And maybe it wasn’t the perfect night she had in mind.

But that perfect night already happened for another Beca and another Chloe in some other world somewhere.

Right now was _her_ moment, and _her_ Chloe’s too.

She could only hope for the same happy ending.

Please don't go, I've been waiting so long  
Oh, you don't even know me at all  
But I was made for loving you

So she sang her heart out. Put every thought and emotion in that one song.

I was made for loving you  
Even though we may be hopeless hearts just passing through  
Every bone screaming I don't know what we should do  
All I know is, darling, I was made for loving you

And when the song finished Beca took another deep breath. She was scared of how Chloe was going to react, but that was the truth of how she felt.

Still, somewhere deep inside she knew that that was what Chloe felt too.

 

_\--Chloe, morning after the meteor shower—_

So apparently it was a serenade.

And was Beca trying to tell her…

…no, she couldn’t possibly…

…but that’s what the song meant right?

That she loved her.

The she was in love with her.

Kyle laughed after the whole song was done, it was a little too sarcastic and strained for Chloe’s taste and she couldn’t help but notice that it rubbed Beca the wrong way too.

Beca and all of the Bellas.

Particularly Aubrey.

“Oh come on, what is this, some last ditch attempt? What? Were you in love with your best friend this whole time?”

“Kyle…” Chloe started to say.

“No Chloe, this is insane. We’re getting married.”

“I haven’t even said yes.”

“Wait, you didn’t say yes?” a confused but pleasantly surprised Beca said, interrupting Kyle and Chloe’s discussion. In the meantime, the rest of the Bellas intently tuned in the conversation, all interested with what Chloe was going to say with Amy making a comment about how she should’ve immediately bought plane tickets to witness everything that was going on in person and CR starting a pool on whether or not Beca will ‘beat Kyle’s sorry ass’ with Aubrey actually sanctioning the betting, getting ready to throw in an extra punch herself.

“Well, no, I said maybe.” Chloe muttered, ignoring her friend’s commotions. “And that’s beside the point, I asked you to wait.” she then said to Kyle.

“And I took that as a yes, why else are you going to say maybe? I figured you were just taken in surprise by it. Chloe, I’ll keep asking you every single day to marry me if that’s what it takes. So please, Chloe, marry me. I love you.” Kyle argued.

“No, Chloe don’t.” Beca instantly spewed out, incredibly worried that Kyle might just smooth talk his way into getting a ‘yes’. She’s fought long and hard for this already, she wasn’t going to just back down that easily. “I love you too. I’ve always loved you, I was just, ugh, I don’t know why but I was being an idiot and the thought that you were going to marry Kyle drove me insane, okay? That’s why I ran out. Because I was planning to tell you last night, during the meteor shower. So I rallied the Bellas to help me out, because I’ve already ruined my own chance by running out, and I’m done letting you slip away. I’m done running away and I want to fight for you Chloe, give us a real shot. Because I believe, I know, that no matter where we are, no matter what world, we’ll always end up together.”

“Beca…” Chloe then said, a little surprised with the totally unexpected passion that Beca had as she spoke.

Not that Chloe was complaining.

“And how do you know that? You’re just afraid of being left alone that’s why you’re doing all this.” Kyle said, jumping in. “Chloe, please, let’s get married.”

“Chlo, please, I just want you to be happy. Last night, all I could ever wish for on all of those dozens and hundreds of shooting stars is to get a shot at happiness with you, all I’m asking is this chance. Because I promise, even if I’m not perfect, I’ll fight for you, fight to be with you, every single day.”

“Chloe, don’t listen to her. I love you, okay. I want a future with you, that’s why I asked you to marry me.” Kyle then argued. “So please just say yes?”

“No, Chlo, don’t.” Beca pleaded, and Chloe looked ever more confused. The Bellas all simmered down at this point, the desperation was clear in Beca’s voice. She wanted to fight for her, even with her last breath she would. And Beca was done letting Chloe slip away.

“Marry me instead.” Beca then said.

Which of course prompted a chorus of “What?” from all the Bellas and Kyle.

Difference was the Bellas were in awe and admiration, the tone in Beca’s voice told them she was being serious about it. The act itself demanded its own respect. Beca was most certainly placing herself defenseless in the situation, letting Chloe have the power to decide, and the Bellas only knew too well how Beca loved her walls and the certain distance she places between people.

If anything, what Beca was doing was speaking in volumes of just how much she loved Chloe.

Meanwhile Kyle was astounded with the gall and audacity that Beca was showing, trying to swoop in and steal the heart of the girl he thought he most certainly had.

Beca laughed a little when she saw Chloe laugh with what she just said after a few minutes of stunned silence.

“I’m not kidding.” Beca said with a smile. “I’m not afraid Chlo. Not if I get to be with you.”

Chloe was sure, from the way Beca said it, she wasn’t the same DJ she left behind.

She grew up.

Matured a lot.

Maybe it was the distance?

Or maybe she’s just finally accepted the truth of what she felt.

She has no idea that an inter-dimensional trip was involved.

But whatever, right?

Beca was there, standing right in front of her, stripped of all her walls and the obliviousness she used as her defense mechanism to keep her feelings for the redhead at bay.

With every single fiber of her being wanting to just jump, take the risks, and chose who it was that her heart longed for.

And did Beca really even need to worry or ask?

The answer was already written in the stars.

In each and every world she was in.

In each and every one that exists.

So there’s really no question at all.

Of course she’ll choose Beca.

Chloe smiled, her ocean blue eyes locked onto Beca’s steely blue ones.

She felt for the tiny box with the ring Kyle proposed with and handed it back to him, Kyle looking visibly torn up and defeated with Chloe’s decision.

And as soon as Kyle walked away she stepped closer to Beca, intertwining her hands with the brunette’s. The cheers of the equally happy and excited Bellas echoing in the distance. “How about we go on a date first? Marriage proposals later Mitchell.” Chloe said, still smiling so brilliantly.

“I’d like that very much Beale.” Beca said before sealing that promise with a kiss.


	25. In Every World, Same End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm planning to write a sequel to this soon, stay tuned for that.
> 
> In any case, if you guys have any suggestions or things you want to see happen in the sequel shoot me a message or hit me up on tumblr (thehypotensivegrad)

_One Year Later_

_\--Main Universe Beca—_

“Still can’t believe it Mitchell.” Stacie commented as she helped Beca type up a response to an email she received from somewhere far away.

“Well, I’m still glad you believed me Stace. Haven’t told Chloe yet so will you promise not to tell Aubrey too?”

“Which one? Your multiverse trip or your surprise for Chloe?”

“The first one. ‘Sides, the surprise goes down later this afternoon so I’m not worried you’ll spoil the other by slipping up to your girlfriend.”

Stacie nodded and smiled. “You can be so sweet and adorable sometimes, you know that, right Beca?”

“Only for Chloe, Stace, only for Chloe.” Beca replied. “But if you tell anyone…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Stacie confirmed. “Although, I’m pretty sure everyone already knows. Anyways, so where’s that laptop you want me to tinker with, I wanna see the other me soon with that proposed inter-dimensional video chat.”

“Sure you’ve got this Stace?”

“I’m not in grad school for nothing Beca. I still can’t believe other me got her MD/PhD earlier than actual me.”

“Yeah, but from what the other Bree said, her Stacie was already in her senior year too when she decided to join the Bellas ‘cause she got bored with everything being so easy. She was also a bit geeky so, you know.” Beca replied and shrugged.

“Oh the differences and similarities of things! I’ll get this done soon so no worries Becs. Go get ready for your date with Chloe.”

“Thanks Conrad, I know I can count on you.”

 

\-- _Parallel Universe Beca--_

“How sure are we that this is going to work?” Aubrey asked. Beca and Stacie were all hunched around the laptop that Stacie had been tinkering with in Beca’s penthouse.

“Well, I’ve sent the message and other world Beca replied. We can now send emails with each other. And now with this new handy laptop, we can keep in contact with our other Beca friend. Because of this handiwork of mine too, I won’t have to connect this to my instrument anymore every time we want to drop a line or something.” Stacie explained.

“Can we send a message to Batman Beca?” the DJ asked.

“You’d like that, won’t you Mitchell.” Aubrey commented all-knowingly.

“Hey guys, what are you all up to?” Chloe then asked as she made her way into the living room of the penthouse, finally arriving to the comforts of her home.

She gave Beca a quick peck on her cheeks before heading into their room to change.

“Still haven’t told Chlo?” Aubrey asked.

“No, maybe when we figure out how to do inter-dimensional video chats I would.” Beca answered.

“Okay then.” Stacie said, gearing up to change the topic to something more important. “Well Mitchell, how about your other plan? How’s that going?”

“It’s all set-up.” Beca replied with her trademark smirk.

 

_…somewhere out there in other universes…_

_\--Batman Beca—_

Beca sighed as she looked outside the window of the old Mitchell estate. Her mind all but wrapped up with the thoughts of the redheaded beauty who’s gotten her all tangled up in her emotions.

And her emotions was just something Beca tried so hard to keep under wraps.

So the cat-like thief’s name was Chloe Beale.

Commissioner Posen said that people were calling her Catwoman.

The thief who almost sold the necklace she donated for the charity auction last night who she eventually caught atop the roof of the Mitchell Manor.

And yet she let her slip away.

Just because of one kiss.

One kiss that distracted her.

Because she shared that kiss with the same redhead she danced with at some other party.

The same redhead who had captivated her with her beauty and… well… everything…

This is why Beca hated emotions.

It gets her all tangled up.

And Beca was sure she was all tangled up with Chloe now.

Who knew rooftop encounters could ever add up to an unexpected twist?

_\--‘Romeo and Juliet’ Beca—_

Just when Beca thought that they were to meet their tragic end…

…was just around the corner a miracle happened.

No bloody defeats in the Riff-off before all those in attendance.

No curses, no fight scene, no need for vengeance.

Just both of them standing up to their captains and standing by what they believed was true.

That Beca loved Chloe and Chloe loved her too.

No rivalry could tear them apart.

They loved each other, it was as simple as that.

And Beca was surely thankful to her lucky stars above.

That what won out in the end was love.

 

_\--Vampire Chloe + Beca—_

Beca stared in a daze at her vampire girlfriend.

Chloe simply smirking back all seductively.

They haven’t talked about it yet.

She was still mortal after all.

But Beca knew that whatever happens.

They’ll make the most of what they have.

And if in the end Chloe decides to turn her.

Well, she really doesn’t see the harm in that.

If it meant she gets to stay with her forever.

 

_\--Hacker Beca—_

It was never really going to work out.

In the end, Beca was the infamous hacker called ‘DJ’, and Chloe was agent Beale.

And in the end Beca just couldn’t do it.

She believed the man they were after was innocent.

Because in the end the people he stole from were the ones who cheated their clients in the first place.

So Beca had to do what she had to do.

Stand up for those who were oppressed using her own methods.

Which meant breaking the law in about a hundred and one different ways, including craftily removing her ankle monitor and fleeing in the middle of the night to somewhere the suits can’t touch her.

Because yeah, the people she turned against, the ones they were supposed to be helping as ‘the victims’, were deeply connected.

She knew that Chloe would stay.

And that she’d have to leave.

She knew too that it would break her heart.

But Beca was sure that her own would end up breaking even more than Red’s.

Beca was halfway through her escape plan, securing safe passage on her best friend’s boat – because of course, Jesse was ever her partner in crime – when someone yelled out ‘Freeze!’

Beca was sure that she was able to throw the Feds off her tracks.

But it seems that she forgot to Chloe-proof her escape plan.

“So you’re just going to go?” Chloe asked coolly.

“Are you taking me in?” Beca asked.

“No.”

“Then why are you here?” Beca pressed, trying her best to keep her feelings for the redhead in check.

“You weren’t even planning to say goodbye.”

“You know as well as I do that I can never say goodbye to you Beale.”

“You didn’t even ask me if I’d run away with you.”

“Will you? Let’s be real here Chloe, the last time I checked you still wanted to fight the bad guys believing that justice is on your side, but the bad guys have justice on payroll, so, you see the problem here?”

Chloe didn’t reply.

They had two different point of views.

But were always after the same goal.

So Jesse started the engines.

And Beca thought Chloe was about to let them go.

In the end she was surprised when the redhead jumped in.

“Maybe the world isn’t as black and white as I thought it was.” was all that Chloe gave as an excuse.

But Beca knew it was that and more.

 

_\--Princess Chloe + Knight Beca—_

So Beca won the contest.

Strangely enough.

And when the king found out she was a woman?

His entire court was in utter shock when he laughed it off and welcomed her anyways.

“I promised my daughter’s hand to whoever wins, and you, my good lady, won. As it would seem, you also won something even more than prestige, you won my daughter’s heart too. Thus, to you she shall be betrothed!” he beamed.

And Beca smirked, as she was rewarded with a kiss on the cheek by her princess.

 

_\--Magus Beca—_

Beca sat down and enjoyed the few minutes of peace she had under the shade of the tree.

Her students will find her soon.

And with the school fair ever so close, she knew the shenanigans would reach incredible new levels of high for the foreseeable future.

“You okay there Beca?” Chloe asked as she sat down right next to her.

“Yeah, I think I’ll be fine.” Beca replied before she yawned. She was tired from teaching and her martial arts and magic training for the day.

“You can rest your head on my lap if you like and nap. Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on you, I’m your partner after all.” Chloe then said noticing how exhausted the mage was.

“Pa-partner?” Beca stammered, her face flushing red.

“Yeah dummy, I’m the Minister to your Magister Magus, remember? We made a _pactio_.” Chloe reminded her.

And how could Beca forget?

That was, after all, her first kiss with Chloe.

 

_\--Back to Parallel Universe Beca—_

“Beca, what is this?” Chloe asked with a breathy laugh.

“It’s a park.” Beca replied pointedly.

“Yes, but what are we doing in a park?” Chloe pressed on.

“Look, I wanted to take you back to Portland for this, but apparently their doing some weird renovations near the playground there where we met and I couldn’t wait any longer because you know, I knew from day one and technically we already are so - ” Beca stammered before Chloe decided to cut her rambling short with a quick kiss, pulling Beca close, their fingers intertwined.

“What is it weirdo?” Chloe asked again, finding it all too amusing how adorable the DJ could be at times.

“Marry me Chlo.” Beca replied in a whisper.

“Now that’s where I’m confused. I thought we were already engaged.” Chloe then said with a wink as she pulled Beca onwards, making their way to an ice cream trolley near where they stood.

“So just to be clear, that is a yes right?”

“It will be if you have a better ring than the threads of your old shirt.” Chloe teased. “Of course it’s a yes dummy.”

“Thanks. And I do, in a box, in my pocket right now actually. If you let go of my hands I might actually propose properly.”

“You already did that once. And I’m not letting go of you.”

“It wasn’t done properly when we were kids.” Beca argued.

“But I think that one was incredibly sweet.” Chloe insisted. “Come on just slip the ring on my finger.”

Beca laughed and shook her head but complied nonetheless. “And you won’t run away with your DJ during the rehearsal dinner?”

“Only DJ I’m ever going to plan on eloping with is you. Now buy me my ice cream.” Chloe replied sneaking yet another kiss in.

“You’re unbelievable Beale.” Beca commented with a grin plastered on her face. “But I’m unbelievably lucky to have you.”

_\--Back to Main Universe Beca—_

“Come on Chlo!” Beca said, pulling on her girlfriend’s hand as they ran towards the middle of the playground.

“What on earth are we doing here Beca?” Chloe asked. She couldn’t help but laugh at the sudden display of eagerness and joy the DJ was displaying.

“Hang on.” Beca said as she finally halted in her place, feeling for something in her pockets. “These shall be needed.” she then said as she fished showed Chloe two handcrafted red-threaded rings in her hands.

“What are you planning on doing?” Chloe dared to ask.

“We’re getting married.”

“At a playground? No minister?”

“Well, this is more of a promise.”

“I thought we both agreed that after your impromptu proposal when you declared your undying love for me that I’ll be the one doing the proposing when I deem that we’re both ready to get married?”

“Okay, first of all, I did not agree to that. Second of all, we both know that you think what I’m doing is incredibly sweet and cute – as much as I resent the word – and you like it, so just let me do it will you?”

“Alright fine.” Chloe said in a defeated tone.

But Beca knew she was getting all giddy inside.

The impossible wide grin on her face was enough to tell her so.

“I, Beca Mitchell, promise to you, Chloe Beale, that I will love you and only you. That my heart belongs to only you. And that no matter how many times I leave when I’m being difficult, no matter how many times I get lost, and in no matter world we’re in, I’ll keep finding my way back to you.” Beca said in the simplest way she could, eyes never faltering from Chloe’s gaze as she slipped the red-threaded ring on Chloe’s finger and then placing a sweet and short kiss on where she placed it. “Now you’re turn Beale, and you better make it equally good as mine.”

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Chloe commented with the most musical laughter Beca has ever heard. “And I can’t believe this is your idea.”

“You know you love it Beale.” Beca replied and Chloe let out a chuckle.

“I, Chloe Beale, promise to you, Beca Mitchell, that I’ll never love anyone else but you. That all of me belongs to all of you. And that I’ll always be here, fighting for us, because nothing can ever tear us apart. You are, after all, the one at the end of my red string. This is my promise to hold, even after I properly propose.” Chloe said and followed what Beca had done before, slipping on the red-threaded ring on Beca’s finger and kissing the spot it was on.

“You know about the legend?” Beca then asked.

“Yeah, it’s kind of pretty popular. I’m surprised you do.”

Beca shrugged. “You kind of proved it.” she replied, which earned her a light kiss on the lips from Chloe. “But seriously, when are you going to put a ring on it Beale.”

“I’m still having fun making you wait.” Chloe teased.

“And when exactly will you stop having fun?”

“I don’t know. So far Aubrey’s doing a fine job of convincing me to still give you the chance to pack up and leave if this isn’t really what you want.”

Beca smirked. Apparently Aubrey was giving her a chance to run before she seals the marriage deal with Chloe, make sure she doesn’t get to hurt the redhead that bad if she decides she didn’t actually want to do it.

Of course Beca wanted it.

More than anything.

Because all she wants is to be with Chloe.

But she understood that Aubrey was just looking out for them both.

“And you agreed? I’m a little hurt Chlo.” she then teased

“Not exactly.” Chloe said defending her innocence. “If you ask me, I would have probably said yes when you asked the first time, but I don’t want to scare you or pressure you or anything Beca, you know that. I want to make sure we’re ready. And I’m glad to see that you’re still standing right beside me, married me in a playground and all.”

“So why not now?”

“Beca Mitchell, are you suggesting I propose now? I don’t even have a ring.”

“No, get married now.”

“Like elope and get married in Vegas or something?” Chloe asked completely astounded.

“No, you deserve something better than that Chlo! But we can do two weddings, one where we run away and pull together two of our closest friends as witnesses, get another one of ‘em ordained to get us hitched someplace incredibly romantic, and then get another more traditional one where I get to show the world how lucky I am to have you.” Beca suggested. “If Aubrey still doesn’t agree we’re ready we can always just not tell her, you know. She can’t stop us.”

“How about we stick to our playground wedding for now Mitchell, Aubrey will murder us both if we follow through with that plan without her.” Chloe commented and kissed Beca’s cheeks. “I’m glad that you’re thinking about things like that though. You’ve really changed.”

“I don’t think I did Chlo. I think all the layers just got peeled away. I’m different from the way I used to be, but still the same at the core.”

“What’s different then?” Chloe dared to ask.

“You.” Beca simply said.

It was the truth.

Chloe was what made the difference.

Chloe and all that she brought along with her in Beca’s life

Chloe looked at Beca intently.

The DJ was sincere with her words.

And she doesn’t know but that the thing she’s wishing for now will soon come true too.

But for now all that Beca thought about was how great the past year had been, and that’s what’s gotten her to look forward to the future with her.

And Beca found it odd how true it was.

Be careful what you wish for ‘cause you just might get it.

And you might not be prepared for what’s coming.

But sometimes making that wish is just necessary.

More than that, working towards the realization of that wish is needed too.

Because even when things get messy, we have to make it so that we get there someday.

So make a wish.

Take the risks.

‘Cause you’ll never know, it might just turn out to be everything you’ve ever wanted and more.

 

 

 

 


End file.
